


Once Upon A Time In Brooklyn

by Master of Unlocking (Hikarinimichitasora)



Series: New York City Tales [1]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Complete, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fairy Tales, Graphic Violence, Happy Ending, It'd All Be Solved If They'd Just Talk, M/M, Magnus Whump, NSFW, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:16:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 99,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6185572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hikarinimichitasora/pseuds/Master%20of%20Unlocking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Brooklyn, an older-than-he-seemed Warlock lived in a fashionable loft apartment...</p><p>Magnus Bane angers the wrong warlock and ends up with more than he bargained for. Not only is he cursed to live out fairytales that risk his life in increasingly creative ways, he also has to find his One True Love within the year or face dire consequences.</p><p>An AU set in the canon universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Enchantress

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in an AU canon universe. Alec and the others are all Shadowhunters, Magnus is a Warlock, but it ignores the plot line of the books. Alec and Magnus know each other through Shadowhunter business, but are not dating.
> 
> The opening is lifted from Disney's Beauty and the Beast and edited into a parody.
> 
> [You can now read this story in Russian translated by the awesome ttsukiori!](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4575436)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is now complete! The whole story is up and available to read! If you like it please drop by my [tumblr](http://withbrokenbones.tumblr.com/) (withbrokenbones).
> 
> **All art in this fic was made by the amazing[lisa-jam](http://lisa-jam.tumblr.com/post/146568991818/this-is-for-my-favo-malec-writer) on Tumblr, including this amazing book cover! Go and show her some love!**

 

_ Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Brooklyn, an older-than-he-seemed Warlock lived in a fashionable loft apartment. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Warlock was spoiled, selfish and vain.  _

 

_ But then, one winter's night, an old homeless Mundane came to his house party and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. _

 

_ Repulsed by her haggard appearance (and not entirely pleasant aroma), the Warlock declined the gift and turned the Mundane away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty is found within. At this point, the Warlock did consider that he might be being punked, but really, he wasn't going to let some Mundane with holes in her clothes into his party. _

 

_ And when he dismissed her again, the Mundane's ugliness melted away, to reveal a beautiful enchantress. Or rather a very pissed of Warlock who was going to curse him to Sunday and back. _

 

_ The Warlock tried to apologise, realising that he really was in trouble now, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no longer any love in his heart. As punishment, she cursed him to have to live through an entire book's worth of fairytales. The really nasty ones too. _

 

_ Aware that there were many ways to die in fairy tales, the Warlock concealed himself inside his apartment with a cellphone as his contact to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for one year. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. Not like there was any pressure there. _

 

_ If not, he would die because this Enchantress wasn't messing around and she'd been pissed goddamnit. _

 

_ The more he thought of it, he fell into despair and lost all hope. He had not felt love for another creature in over a century, and he had not been loved for much more. For who, really, could ever learn to love Magnus Bane? _

 

* * *

 

"Magnus, you haven't answered your phone in three days," Clarissa's voice came through the intercom. Magnus sighed from the nest of blankets he'd wrapped himself in on the couch. So the Shadowhunters wanted him, did they? Well, he was indisposed. He was not going to answer their stupid calls for help when he had his own problems to deal with.

 

"What's the problem?"

 

Ah, the blond one was here. Even better. He would have no qualms telling them to go bother someone else if that was the case... Wait. If the blond one was there, that usually meant-

 

"Maybe he's just not in? I'm sure Magnus has a life besides just waiting for us to turn up," And there it was, the sweet voice of the hottest of the Shadowhunters. That beautiful Lightwood boy, Alec, whose eyes were like the brightest blue skies and...

 

Magnus gestured vaguely from within his protective blankets and heard the door buzz obnoxiously. There was the sound of scrambling as the others quickly tried to gain entry to his apartment and then the slam of boots on stairs and a rapid knocking on his actual door.

 

"I don't use a key," he called. Sure enough, the door opened and in walked the usual suspects. Magnus ignored the blond one, handsome though he might be, he held little interest for the Warlock. Clarissa looked worried, which was sweet of her, truly, but Magnus didn't need her concern. Isabelle glided in looking smugly self-satisfied and her brother was stammering something out, his face somewhat flustered looking.

 

Alec truly was a delight to look at, and he was the primary reason why Magnus helped them so much. Of course, he liked Clarissa well enough, but Alec's smile outshone hers by a mile. In fact, Alec was smiling right now, his white teeth shining as he took in Magnus' position on the couch. Magnus supposed he probably did look a little ridiculous.

 

"Welcome to my castle. I'm afraid you've caught me at a bad time," Magnus said, aware that only the top of his head was poking out of the top of the blankets and his words were muffled. The Shadowhunters fanned out around the room though their attention was all on him.

 

Only Alec seemed truly relaxed in the apartment, leaning against a wall and folding his arms.

 

"Are you sick?" Clarissa asked. Magnus smiled though he knew she could only see his eyes.

 

"No. I've been cursed," he said. The reaction was immediate. Alec's arms dropped and he took a few steps forward. Isabelle's smile disappeared. Clarissa crouched down next to the couch so she was eye level. Even the Golden Boy looked a little concerned.

 

"Cursed? What are the conditions?" Alec asked. Magnus sighed. Of course, Shadowhunters would want to get involved. Curses broke the law, didn't they?

 

"I can handle it," he said. The Wayland boy quirked an eyebrow.

 

"Yes, I can see how you're handling it so well. That blanket fort must be great at keeping magic out," he snarked. Magnus glared at him. It wasn't fair to pick on the afflicted.

 

"Allow me the pleasure of feeling sorry for myself, then I'll get right back to being your pet Warlock, how about that?" he snapped. Jace rolled his eyes. Clarissa, however, reached forward and put her hand on the blankets. It was suspiciously high on his thigh, but she probably had no idea how close her touch was to being scandalous under those blankets.

 

"Magnus, can you tell us about it?" she asked. Alec was staring at him rather intently now. It did feel kind of nice to be able to swallow up all their attention. Usually, they only came to him when they had something they needed. They rarely cared about him. Magnus sighed, as though he were being put upon, and emerged from the blankets.

 

"Follow me."

 

* * *

 

The room hadn't always been like this. It seemed the Warlock who had played the role of his Enchantress had a flair for the dramatic as well as the deadly. What had been a tastefully decorated dressing room had become dark, damp, and strangely humid. Thorned vines grew on the walls, blocking out the light from the windows.

 

The plants had grown so fast that they'd overturned his furniture, even breaking it in places. He ran a hand frustratedly through his hair as he looked around the room.

 

In the centre, there was an ornate table because of course there was. Fairytales were nothing if not melodramatic, something that Magnus could have appreciated were he not living in one. On the table was a glass case and suspended inside it a rose slowly twirled as it levitated. It had not lost a petal yet.

 

Next to it was a thick, leather bound book. The title on the front merely read "Tales of Faerie". Around it, the area was scorched from where Magnus had tried to end the curse early by merely burning the thing. It seemed it was rather resistant to his kind of magic.

 

"Oh wow," Isabelle said, stepping into the room and tapping her finger against a leaf. The vine she had touched shuddered and wrapped itself more firmly against what had once probably been his dresser. Magnus glared at it.

 

"As you can see, it's a little complex," he said. Alec had strode into the room and was bending down, staring at the rose in the glass cabinet with something akin to fascination.

 

"It's Beauty and the Beast," Clarissa said suddenly. The other three Shadowhunters looked confused. Of course, they probably wouldn't know Mundane Fairytales, or if they did, it would be some other version where the Beast was probably a werewolf or some such nonsense. Magnus walked forward, stopping beside Alec and putting his hand to the glass that protected the rose.

 

"It seems that way," he replied. "So I'm afraid I won't be free to play with you for the foreseeable future. I will be too busy living out every fairytale in this book before the last petal falls."

 

He didn't see the point in telling them about the "one true love" nonsense. Better to ignore that part of the curse for now.

 

Alec tore his gaze away from the rose then to look at the book. Magnus watched his strong hands lift the book from its place and begin to flick through it.

 

"The pages are blank," Alec said. Magnus nodded.

 

"Apparently as I live them, they'll get filled in. At the moment all I can see is the title of the next one, hence I'm not leaving the house," he said. Alec flicked to the front, reading the contents page.

 

"Which tale is it?" Clarissa asked. Alec tilted his head to one side.

 

"Little Red Riding Hood," he read aloud. Isabelle walked around behind her brother, looking over his shoulder.

 

"Isn't that the one where a wolf eats someone's grandma?" she asked. Alec looked up, meeting Magnus' eyes over the cover.

 

Magnus took the book from his hands and put it back down on the table, pages open to show the title and the accompanying illustration.

 

A wolf devouring an old woman and her child, red splashed all over the pages in a brutal depiction of the grandmother's demise.

 

"Weren't the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood supposed to survive?" Clarissa asked, her face pale with horror. Magnus smiled, though there was no humour in it.

 

"Not the way my mother told it."


	2. Eyes, Ears, Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You have a grandmother?" The Wayland asked. Magnus raised an eyebrow.
> 
> "Well, I assume there is one buried somewhere in Indonesia. I was born you know. I didn't just pop up in a shower of glitter one day to make your life easier," he said. "Though perhaps that would be more believable for you."

"Let's think about this logically," Alec said. They had left the Curse Room and were now having a strategic planning meeting around Magnus' dining table. Magnus was slightly amused. He was older than all of them added together, and yet he was touched by their concern.

 

Even if he had the sneaking suspicion that they were helping him only to help themselves in the end.

 

"The curses can only occur if you let them, right? So you just have to wait out whatever events are sent to test you," Alec suggested. Magnus nodded.

 

"Precisely. Hence the blanket nest," he said. Isabelle looked thoughtful.

 

"Wouldn't that have just put you in the role of the grandmother? Laid up in bed and waiting to get eaten?" She asked. Magnus blinked. He had only thought that he could be the main character of the tale, but the Enchantress had never specified that would be the case. Isabelle might be right.

 

"We can assume you're not playing the role of the wolf at least," Alec mused. It seemed his parabatai was sitting this discussion out. Obviously, fairytales were not his forte.

 

"So I'm either Red or the grandmother," Magnus said, eyeing his blankets with newfound distrust. Clary rubbed the back of her neck.

 

"Or the woodcutter but... I don't think you would get to be anything other than the victim. Wouldn't make much sense to cast you as the hero who saves everyone. What would that teach you?" Clary said. She was on her phone, scrolling through article after article on Little Red Riding Hood.

 

"If I'm the grandmother, I have to stay out of bed," Magnus said, sighing as he banished his blankets back to his bedroom with a casual wave of his hand. "If I'm Red, then surely I just avoid red clothes and running errands to my grandmother."

 

"You have a grandmother?" The Wayland asked. Magnus raised an eyebrow.

 

"Well, I assume there is one buried somewhere in Indonesia. I was born you know. I didn't just pop up in a shower of glitter one day to make your life easier," he said. "Though perhaps that would be more believable for you."

 

Alec put his hand on his shoulder.

 

"So we've worked out how to get through this one. We've helped you, now you have to help us," he said. Magnus had known it was too good to be true. Shadowhunters, they always wanted something.

 

"You barely did anything," he commented. Alec's hand dug into his shoulder a little more sharply.

 

"If it weren't for Izzy, you'd still be wrapped in blankets as a wolf TV dinner," Alec pointed out. Magnus folded his arms.

 

"Fine, what is it  you need?" He asked. Alec nodded and removed his hand from the Warlock's shoulder, taking a step back so that the blond one could make the request. Alec was always deferring leadership, even when he didn't need to. Magnus wished that he would grow a spine.

 

"There's a demon and we need to... There's something we need to give it but we can't get to it ourselves and we need a warlock for that so..."

 

Jace rambled about something or other that was far too long-winded for Magnus to be bothered to follow. Instead, he amused himself by watching the play of light and shadow on the Lightwood's face. He sensed that the self-appointed leader had finished speaking when there was an awkwardly long silence.

 

Alec turned, saw Magnus staring and scrunched his face up in confusion. His sister chuckled to herself.

 

"Yes, yes, whatever. I'll summon a demon for you and deliver your precious whatever it is in return for whatever it was you said you wanted," he said, waving a hand. "But it is hardly fair trade. I want more."

 

"What else do you want?" Wayland asked and Magnus winked at Alec.

 

"How about a kiss from the pretty boy over there?" He asked. Alec's cheeks turned bright red and he held up his hands in protest.

 

"Wh-what? No! I'm not- Jace, you can't-" he said, looking wildly between his parabatai and Magnus as though he seriously thought that Magnus would be so cheap to steal a kiss that way.

 

"No? Ah then I guess I'll have to just take money," he said, clicking his fingers and producing an invoice. Wayland snatched it from midair, checking it over and then nodding.

 

"We need results by tomorrow," he said. Magnus sighed.

 

"Tonight is a full moon, so you're lucky. Magic is exceptionally powerful tonight. I should have your 'results' by morning," he said. Wayland got to his feet, preparing to leave.

 

Magnus looked at Alec, happy to see that the other was still flustered, his cheeks flaming even as he hung his head trying to hide it. He made sure to let his hand ghost over the small of the Lightwood's back as he left, just the lightest of touches. The boy's spine immediately straightened and Magnus could see he was almost physically restraining himself from turning around.

 

Feeling like he'd messed with him enough, Magnus shut the door and started preparing himself for that night.

 

*

 

Magnus had to do the summoning in a warehouse near the docks. It was still only January, and bitterly cold, but it seemed the warehouse had once stored livestock or some other heat sensitive produce. He turned all the heat lamps on, happily warming up as he waited until the time was right.

 

A few minutes late, but better than never, the Shadowhunters arrived. He shivered, drawing his white coat around him tighter. Even Wayland seemed to be cold, handing over the thing he wanted to trade with the demon without a word.

 

Magnus took his place in the summoning circle, the trinket secured under his arm. He gestured with his head for the other Shadowhunters to do the same. They followed his lead and positioned themselves.

 

Magnus began the incantation, pleased when it went off without a hitch. He glanced at Alec, who had put himself between Isabelle and Wayland on the far side of the circle. Was the other impressed by his clear skill? He should be. It wasn’t easy to summon demons after all.

 

The demon appeared before them. It was vaguely catlike. It definitely had... Cats... Eyes...

 

"You are Magnus Bane. I know of you," the demon said. "You are of my blood, though distantly and diluted. Why have you called upon me?" The demon asked. Magnus swallowed and dropped the trinket, kicking it into the circle.

 

"The Wayland has a deal for you," he said. He let the Shadowhunters barter with the demon, but he was not sure himself what to do. He could feel his magic draining the longer the negotiations held up. Even borrowing power from the Shadowhunters, summoning a demon like this took a great deal of effort.

 

There was a sudden howling sound.

 

"Werewolf! Jace! Close the deal now!" Clary yelled. Jace looked up, eyes wide and agreed to whatever the current state of their business was. Magnus had only just managed to close the spell safely when he felt the claws slash down his spine.

 

He cursed, leaping out of the way as fast as he could before the darned thing could bite him. He looked down at himself, assessing his wounds.

 

The scratch had barely broken the skin but he realised his error. His white coat, under the heat lamps, was coloured red. The fairytale, unable to get him by other means, had twisted itself until it could get him.

 

"Magnus!"

 

Magnus heard Alec's warning and rolled to the side. He held up his hand, prepared to blast the werewolf with magic, but his power sputtered and died in his hand. Either he was out of juice or he couldn't use magic against creatures involved in his curse.

 

He swore, turning and starting to run. He could hear the Shadowhunters behind him. Usually, he would have been judging how they handled the battle, the situation, themselves.

 

There was a moment when he felt the wolf's jaws snap dangerously close to the back of his neck. It was going for the throat. It wasn't just going to bite him, it intended to kill him. Another few moments and it would have its wish.

 

He heard a yelp and the sound of a body hitting the ground. He turned his head to see Alec lowering his bow, arrow still notched in the string. He took the risk, abruptly turning around to see that Isabelle had caught the wolf with her whip, tangling it's legs as it struggled against the bonds.

 

Wayland was stood over it, blade raised.

 

"No!"

 

Magnus cursed his own morals. This wolf would kill him if given the chance but he wasn't going to let them kill it. Not until they knew if it was just a mistake. Had the curse manipulated this poor werewolf, just as it had manipulated the Shadowhunters and himself?

 

Wayland lowered his blade and looked at his fellow Shadowhunters for ideas. Isabelle's muscles were straining as she fought to keep the tension of her whip tight enough to hold the enraged wolf.

 

It was Clary who ran forward. In her hands, she had rope, probably discarded around the docks. Magnus was glad for her quick thinking. Together, she and Wayland bound the beast and Magnus slowly sank to the ground.

 

"We'll take it from here. Alec, get Magnus back to his apartment," Isabelle said. Magnus felt strong arms pulling him to his feet. He leaned into them, allowing himself just one moment of weakness before he found his feet again.

 

"Can you create a portal?" Alec asked. Magnus held up his hand. His magic responded, this time, creating the purple portal through space-time. Alec nodded and grabbed his arm, clearly thinking him still unsteady on his feet, dragging him through it.

 

In his apartment once more, Magnus shook off Alec's grip on him. He strode towards the Curse Room. He could hear Alec following him but he ignored it.

 

The rose had lost a petal. It lay at the bottom of the case, slightly bruised. Magnus stared at it for a few moments before shaking himself and picking up the book.

 

The illustration had changed, instead showing Magnus dashing for his life, the wolf at his back, the Shadowhunters with their weapons all trained on it. The story had filled itself in traditionally, with the story of Little Red going and taking something to her grandma and the wolf attacking her upon her realisation that it didn't have her grandmother's eyes.

 

"The story is completed," Magnus told Alec, showing him the book. Alec took a few steps forward, looking at the page over his shoulder. This close, Magnus could smell the sweat on his skin, a not entirely unpleasant aroma if truth be known.

 

"Wasn't exactly true to the story, was it?" Alec asked. Magnus shrugged his shoulders.

 

"My guess is that it couldn't fulfil the story requirements exactly so it did what it could," he said. "After all, I have no living mortal relatives and wolves don't naturally roam Brooklyn."

 

Alec was biting his lip as he thought. Magnus found it insanely hot though he knew better than to say anything. Alec was skittish, and though it would be fun to make him stammer, Magnus was not stupid enough to think that he wouldn't need the Shadowhunter's help again before this was all over.

 

"We have to take every tale seriously. Your life is in danger until this is resolved," Alec said. Magnus even liked how he stated the obvious sometimes. It was cute.

 

"And I'm thinking that there will be no way to avoid the curse just by staying inside. It's shown its resilience tonight. It will do what it can to get me," he said, flipping the book to the contents page to check the name of the next tale.

 

It was blank with merely a question mark hovering where the title should be.

 

Beside him, Alec made a noise of frustration.

 

"So the curse won't even let you know what you're up against this time?" He asked. Magnus closed the book, putting it down next to the rose.

 

"Probably punishing me for not playing along nicely with this one," he theorised. He ran a fingertip down the glass case.

 

A new story would start, but there was also the other part of the curse to take care of. The first petal had already fallen and with it, his time was shorter. Finding a soul mate in a year, something that he hadn't managed in the centuries he had been alive.

 

It was ridiculous.

 

"Magnus, you don't have to do this alone. We'll help you," Alec said. Magnus didn't need to look at him to know there was sincerity burning in his eyes.

 

It felt like a noose tightening around his neck. If the Shadowhunters took it seriously, if he took it seriously, then he had to acknowledge that he could really die. He forced away the panic. He had to deal with this logically, methodically, or else he would go insane.

 

"Thank you, Alec. You can return to the Institute now. I... I want to be alone for a while," he said.

 

Alec's hand slid down his back, a touch that would have usually caused him to comment in a way that would have made the Shadowhunter blush. Instead, he said nothing. Alec left without another word.

 

Magnus slammed his hand down onto the table, causing it to shake under the force of his blow.

 

"Fuck you," he whispered, not sure if he meant the Enchantress, Alec or himself. "Fuck you."


	3. كِتَاب أَلْف لَيْلَة وَلَيْلَة

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Magnus... It's a grave," he said. Magnus pretended to be shocked.
> 
> "Really? You think there might be, you know, dead people in there?" He asked. Alec gave him a withering look, his neck coloring red.

Nothing happened for days. Magnus eventually started to go insane in his apartment. Although watching reruns of Rupaul's Drag Race did pass some time, he already knew the outcomes of every season and it was starting to grow boring to him.

The glitter was nice though.

Finally he realised he could put off his work no longer. The curse, for whatever reason, had decided to take a short vacation, and he needed to do something to sustain himself. Cable did not pay for itself after all.

He had been surprised that Alec had called almost every day to check on him. He had known that the boy's sister had hoped, once, that they could be friends, but he had never thought that Alec considered them so.

It was kind of cute, really, that Alec was so concerned with the curse. He was considering that the other might have a little crush on him, though that was probably far from the truth.

Alec would probably just point out that they were Shadowhunters and it was their job to prevent the misuse of magic if he were ever questioned anyway.

Sure enough there was a call around 4pm. Magnus wasn't sure why it was always that time, though he suspected it was the time that Alec got to himself away from the others. He never heard other Shadowhunters in the background during Alec's calls.

"Well, hello, Alexander," he said as he answered the call. He heard a slight intake of breath on the other end of the line. Did Alec really think he was surprised whenever he rang? He had caller ID just like everyone else.

"Er, Magnus, hey," Alec said, as though he were surprised to hear Magnus answering his own phone. Magnus didn't have to hide his smile for fear of offending this time and so he let it spread across his face.

"No changes to report," he said. "No sign of the curse. I'm getting a little antsy locked in my apartment and honestly I have so much to do. I do have to work for my money after all."

Alec listened to him whine. Really, the boy was rather the Angel. Well, Magnus guessed that was kind of his thing.

"If you need any help, I'm free tonight. I could come along with you? Just in case?" Alec offered. Magnus paused. That was... Unexpected.

"Well, if it's going to be a date, I'll have to do my hair," he said, inspecting his nails. He was just teasing but the spluttered reward he got for the effort was more than worth it.

"It's not a date, Magnus. I just wanted to know if you needed help. Sorry I offered," Alec said and Magnus did his best to ignore the snippishness of the shadowhunter’s tone.

"Now, now, don't let your pride get the better of you. If you really want to go on a date with me, you can pick me up at seven. There's a musty crypt I'm being paid to raid and it's all very Indiana Jones. Should be right up your alley," he said. He heard Alec make a 'hmming' noise. Magnus thought that Shadowhunters should be far too busy to be goofing off with Warlocks in any case. If Alec said no, he'd just go alone.

"Can you make it eight? I've got to have dinner with my parents tonight," Alec said. Magnus raised his eyebrows. When Alec had said he was free that evening, he thought he had meant early on. To suggest they met later, why, how scandalous!

"Would you like to spend the night as well? I'm afraid my guest room is out of commission now but my bed is large enough to share-"

"No, thank you. See you at eight Magnus," Alec said and hung up. Magnus snickered as he put down the phone.

Truly Alec was a joy to play with.

 

*

Eight rolled round and went. Magnus sighed impatiently. Of course the boy would be late. Magnus made himself another drink. He heard his door open but didn't turn towards the intruder.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. My little brother needed help with his homework and then Jace would not shut up and-"

Magnus held up his hand and Alec fell silent. He turned around and saw the boy's crestfallen expression. Was his puppy love really so strong? Or was Magnus just projecting onto him?

"You are here now. Let's just begin," he said, knocking back his drink in one long swallow. Alec's eyes were wide.

"You've been drinking? What if it's dangerous?" He asked, his voice sounding a little high-pitched. Magnus wasn't in the mood to be scolded by someone who was forty-five minutes late and almost four centuries his junior.

"Then I will be appropriately mellow for the events about to unfold," Magnus replied. He gestured to the cabinet. "Would you like one?"

Alec shook his head, though he seemed perhaps a little curious. Magnus shrugged and set his glass down, grabbing a jacket and walking to the door.

"We will need a taxi. As fun as it would be to sit on the subway and have it look like I'm talking to myself, I would rather not draw that kind of attention," he said.

“Can't you use a portal?” He asked. Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“I am not morbid, nor a vampire. I don't tend to hang around tombs too often and as I've never been there, I can't portal there,” he explained, pulling the door open and stepping through, glancing over his shoulder.

Alec nodded, putting his hands in his pockets and following Magnus as left.

Hailing a cab was easy, though the driver seemed unnerved that the door shut itself of its own accord. Magnus just smiled at him brightly. The driver's unease was probably not soothed by Magnus' instructions to take him to a cemetery either.

The cab ride went as smoothly as traffic in New York City would allow. Alec sat next to him, fidgeting occasionally and causing the driver to keep looking in the rear view mirror. Magnus eventually reached out and put a hand on the Shadowhunter's leg to stop him from moving so much.

Alec turned a bright shade of pink at that. He jerked his leg away, but did stop fidgeting. Magnus wasn't sure if that was a victory.

They arrived at the destination and Magnus paid their fares before slipping out of the cab. The driver sped away almost before Alec had managed to escape the back seat. Magnus grinned as the boy glared at the tail lights.

"Shall we?" He asked, gesturing with his head to the cemetery behind them. Alec nodded.

The graveyard gates were locked, but Magnus' magic made quick work of that. He walked in like he owned the place, heading immediately in the direction the vampires had told him the tomb was in. The magical protections were apparently quite strong, far too strong for the vampires who had hired him to break through. And thus, he was going to earn some money for bread and butter from them.

The graveyard was so quiet that Magnus could hear Alec's breathing almost like a shout. He found the sound strangely calming. He was not alone in this place, like he was so often these days, and there was something pleasant about that.

"Over there. You see that tomb with the Grim Reaper on it’s roof? That's the one we're here to raid," he said. Alec peered through the darkness.

"We're not... Going to steal anything are we?" Alec asked. Magnus quirked an eyebrow. Surely it was a bit late to ask that question now?

"We are merely the locksmiths. The client will take the booty once I'm done," Magnus said. Alec nodded, seeming to be happy with just the breaking as long as he didn't have to do the entering.

Magnus reached the tomb and got to work on the first level of defences. It was easy to cast them aside. The tomb itself, more of a mausoleum really, had a large stone blocking the door and overgrown plants growing up its walls. Hardly the kind of place Magnus would want to be seen normally.

Magnus gestured casually, ripping the door away and then carefully laying it down on the grass so he could return it to its rightful place later. He glanced over his shoulder to see Alec was watching him intently. He gave him a small smirk.

"Come on. I have no doubt there are more protections than that," Magnus said, gesturing inside the tomb. Alec's expression was grim.

"Magnus... It's a grave," he said. Magnus pretended to be shocked.

"Really? You think there might be, you know, dead people in there?" He asked. Alec gave him a withering look, his neck coloring red.

"You know what I mean. Are you sure you have to go in?" He asked. Magnus nodded.

"I won't be paid unless I'm thorough. If you want to, you can wait here," he said and stepped inside the grave without another look back. Inside was dark but it was easy to conjure fire in order to be able to see.

Bodies were laid out on shelves, their owners watching over whatever treasure it was the vampires wanted. There was a terrible, musty smell that Magnus hated. Dead people smelled so gross.

He checked for another door, a secret compartment, something else that would undoubtedly be locked. The vampires wouldn't be interested in long-dusty corpses after all.

Sure enough there was a trap door. He began to break the spells on it, having to extinguish the flames in order to use his hands for the much more important task. Besides, he didn’t want to accidentally set fire to a crusty corpse with an exuberant gesture.

The enchantments on the trapdoor were much more complicated than the ones on the door and Magnus felt a bead of sweat drip down from his temple. _That_ was something he hadn’t expected. Strong enough to keep the vampires out was one thing, strong enough to keep _him_ out, well, that was another thing entirely.

He finally felt the wards dispel and he let out a long breath as the trap door sprung open.

"Are you done yet?"

The voice was so close to his ear that Magnus yelped. He took a step blindly, panic having overridden bodily awareness. His foot met nothing but air and for a moment his arms windmilled before he managed to grab hold of something far too soft to be a wall.

He was falling backwards, his body unable to right itself and whatever he'd grabbed for support was falling with him. Magnus tried to scramble and grab for something, anything else, but there was nothing but space as he fell down into the darkness.

The ground was hard against his spine when it finally met him. He had barely a second to feel the pain explode from the back of his head and down his spine before his ribs and stomach were protesting that someone had fallen onto him.

"Magnus?! Magnus I'm sorry! It's me! I didn't expect-"

Magnus was glad that one of them wasn't winded beyond speech, because he could barely force air into his lungs. Alec rolled off him, drawing a glowing stone from his pocket and holding it up. Magnus rolled onto his side, feeling the world swim in front of his eyes... and vomited immediately.

"Damn, you've probably got a concussion. I'm so sorry, Magnus!"

Magnus was too busy throwing up cocktails that had tasted much better going down than they did coming up to be granting forgiveness in that moment. He waved his hand in Alec’s general direction until he finally stopped heaving. The pain was dulled enough for him to get a bearing of his surroundings.

He would usually be horrified to have made such a poor showing in front of an attractive young man, but the truth was, he was livid. Alec had been nothing but a pain in the neck the entire time they’d been out. Magnus was seriously regretting his choice of tomb raiding partner.

"Shut up," he croaked. He took a few more breaths, grabbing a handkerchief from his pocket and bringing it to his mouth. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision.

Alec was right, he probably did have a concussion.

He called on his powers, bringing them up to his own head, trying to assess the damage and heal it with his own magic. He stopped seeing two Alecs after about a minute of slow and careful healing and was withdrawing power back into himself when he felt it.

"There's another seal down here," he said. He used the wall to support himself as he got up, pointedly not looking at the puddle of his own vomit on the floor. Alec was watching him worriedly, though he rose to his feet as well.

"Magnus, we should go now and come back tomorrow," Alec suggested. Magnus knew that the boy was right. Sensibly, they should. But the vampires were expecting this done tonight, and they were hardly going to take the answer that Magnus fell and hit his head as an excuse as to why it wasn't done.

"It won't be long," Magnus said. He gestured for Alec to go in front. "Hold that light aloft and let me know if there's any traps or something ahead. I'm not going to be too spritely on my feet for a few moments."

Alec looked like he was going to protest, but then he set his shoulders back and stood up as well. He held the rock high above his head and hesitantly moved further into the tomb.

The walls were chiselled from the earth itself, with smooth rock pillars supporting the tunnel as it went further and further underground.

Magnus looked at the muscles of Alec's back as they walked. If the Shadowhunter wasn't so pretty, Magnus would have long since dropped contact with him. As it was, he only had himself to blame for how things were going tonight.

"Magnus? I think there's something ahead," Alec said. Magnus peered over Alec's shoulder.

"Fire an arrow," he suggested. Alec nodded, giving Magnus the light and drawing an arrow from his quiver. Magnus leaned against the wall, out of his way, and glad to have the opportunity to have something take his weight. Alec drew the arrow back, muscles in his arms bulging. Definitely not an unpleasant sight.

The arrow was let loose. It travelled maybe four feet before flames leapt up from the floor, incinerating it. Alec took a step back in alarm as the heat assaulted their faces. Luckily they were too far back to be burned.

Magnus groaned and pushed himself away from the wall, raising his hand and pulling the fire magic out of the walls. It was old and the signature was of a warlock he didn't know. It didn't matter. Once he drained it, he used the extra energy to try to cure his headache.

"Continue," he said. Alec glanced at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Magnus gave him a sharp look.

"There's another door I need to unlock beyond that trap. Come on," he said, giving Alec a push and handing him back the stone. Alec led the way along the now obstruction free corridor.

They finally got to a stone door at the end of the corridor. It was engraved with hundreds of symbols. Magnus grabbed Alec’s wrist, guiding his hand as he tried to make out the symbols. Alec stepped closer to him, so close Magnus could feel some of the heat of his body. He forgave him a little, even though Alec probably hadn’t meant for the gesture to be as flirtatious as Magnus was thinking it.

“It’s possibly Persian or some kind of Arabic. Rather strange for a tomb in New York, no?” He asked. Alec shrugged. Well, he was a teenager still, Magnus supposed. He wasn’t even sure that Shadowhunters were taught about basic immigration to the Americas beyond how it affected the Shadow world.

“Stand back,” Magnus said and Alec complied quickly, taking a few steps backwards out of Magnus’ way.

Magnus raised his hands, wiggling his fingers a little as he tried to get a hold of the magic that locked the door. It was complicated. Far more complicated than any lock Magnus had worked on before. Alec was probably right. He probably wouldn't be able to crack this tonight. He could dash his magic against it as much as he liked, but he needed to be fully rested and do some research in order to get it open. Not to mention brush up on his Arabic… Or Persian… Or whatever those symbols were.

"I can't do anything with it," Magnus conceded, resting his hand against the stone. "Unless 'Open Sesame' works, we're going to be-"

Magnus' mouth fell open when the door began to shake and slide to the side. He took a few hasty steps backwards, almost colliding with Alec for the second time that night. The door shuddered to a stop when it had completely opened.

"Magnus... What just happened?" Alec asked. Magnus swallowed.

"I think... I think the curse, my curse, is back," he said. Alec took a step forward toward the revealed darkness.

"Which story?" Alec asked, as though he would have any idea even if Magnus told him. Magnus shook his head firmly.

"We have to leave. If this is Ali Baba then-"

"WHO HAS COME TO TAKE OUR TREASURE?!"

Magnus reached forward, grabbing Alec's shoulder and pulling him as he started running himself. Alec didn't seem to need much encouragement. They ran through the dark tunnel, the light of the stone barely helping them at the speed they were running.

He could hear the footfalls of _something_ behind him. He had the sneaking suspicion that whatever they were, there would be forty of them.

They finally reached a dead end. Magnus looked up and saw it was where the trapdoor opened into the passage. There was no ladder, obviously no one was supposed to come down here and get out again alive. Alec started trying to climb the smooth wall of the tomb but his hands slipped on the carefully polished stone.

"Alec, stop. Grab onto my waist," Magnus said, hurriedly casting the spell. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus, his grip almost painfully tight. The empowered jump helped them reach close enough to the top of the trapdoor that Magnus could grab it with his hand. He dangled there, his muscles screaming at him, his injured ribs sucking his strength.

He wasn’t known for his physical strength, and Alec wasn’t really light. Beneath him he heard the sound of metal clashing against stone.

“Climb up me! Hurry!” Magnus gasped out. Alec was already moving, his boots digging into what seemed like all of Magnus’ most sensitive places as he scrambled up the warlock’s body. Magnus felt his grip loosening and fed magic into his fingers with as much force as he could.

“Just a little longer,” he hissed, mostly to himself. Alec finally pulled himself up, out of the trapdoor and Magnus was close to falling again when he felt Alec's hands wrap around his wrist. He was pulled sharply out of the tomb. They were both breathing heavily.

"You think they're stuck-" Alec began. At that moment a grappling hook flew out of the trapdoor, latching itself on the edge.

"Nope. Run!" Magnus said, turning on his heel and trying to put as much space as he could between himself and the tomb. The graveyard ground felt far more uneven now he was running through it. He ran as far as he could without stopping. Alec kept pace with him, though the other seemed a lot less exhausted than Magnus was. The Warlock finally had to stop, doubling over.

"Magnus, we have to keep going. They've not stopped following us," Alec said. Magnus nodded and straightened up, only to double over again when his ribs let him know that being upright was the last thing they wanted at that moment.

"Oh by the Angel," he heard Alec curse and then Magnus saw their pursuers for the first time. Skeletal beings, perhaps animated corpses. They wouldn't tire, and he wasn't sure they could be killed. They would relentlessly chase him until their enchantments wore off.

"I'm not good at fighting, Alec," he warned. Alec was already notching an arrow. Magnus watched as he sent it flying towards the bone warrior only for it to embed itself in the creature's skull, barely slowing it down.

"Plan B," Alec said, grabbing Magnus’ hand and half-dragging him away. They turned right out of the cemetery and Magnus tried to guess what Alec was thinking. There was nothing to the right of them except the Hudson.

“The Hudson! Oh Alec, you really are the smartest Shadowhunter of your time,” Magnus praised him. Alec shot him a grin that Magnus forced himself to return. If they could get over water, it was possible that the magic wouldn't work. A gamble that fairytale magic would have to follow the rules of all other fairy magic. The Hudson wasn’t far, if they could just make it...

They sped down 25th, Magnus barely able to put one foot in front of the other. He didn't know whether to use the last of his energy to heal himself or to throw some sparks at their pursuers.

"Come on, Magnus," Alec said, sounding frustrated. Magnus tried to put in a burst of speed, but there was no way to keep up to a Shadowhunter in his prime. Alec was starting to leave him behind, more than dragging him now.

His ribs burned. He clutched them with a free hand. Damnit. Just-

An arrow skittered along the sidewalk to his left. Magnus sidestepped the second one but the third lodged itself in his leg. He staggered, slowing to a stop almost immediately, but managing to keep his balance. He felt surprised first, but then the pain hit him, a thousand times worse than the ribs.

The skeletons were almost upon them. Magnus raised his hand, calling as much magic as he could. His concentration was shattered though, the pain becoming almost too much. He would only be able to manage one blast, but it would be enough, hopefully, to buy Alec some time to get them out of there.

He had nearly finished gathering all his resources when he felt the arrow embed in his chest. He juddered backward, staring down in shock at the arrow. He heard Alec screaming his name even as a rushing sound seemed to remove all other noise from the world.

He let go the maelstrom he had created, watching as purple-blue flames rushing towards the skeletons. He saw the first few catch fire before he felt his legs go out from underneath him. He was falling.

He'd never felt as much pain before as when Alec caught him, jarring the arrow lodged in his chest.

"Magnus?! Magnus! Shit! Hold on! Magnus, hold on!"

His eyes slid closed.

He should have just taken Alec on a date instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter:  
> “Alice!” The Queen roared.  
> “Alec, actually,” Alec replied, folding his arms. “Don’t you have something better to do? Than tormenting the poor Hatter?”


	4. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alice!” The Queen roared.
> 
> “Alec, actually,” Alec replied, folding his arms. “Don’t you have something better to do? Than tormenting the poor Hatter?”

"Do you think he's awake?"

"I don't know. Maybe that's what awake looks like to him?"

"Shhhh. He can hear you! Look, he's moving!"

"I'm pretty sure that means he's awake..."

Magnus sat up. He knew he should feel groggy. No matter if he had been healed or not, he should feel worse for wear right now. He'd been shot in the chest! With an arrow! He put his hand to his chest, expect to find at least bandages.

Rich fabric met his fingertips.

He looked down at himself. 

His suit seemed to be made of purple glitter, and paired with a lime green shirt and a red waistcoat. There was no arrow sticking out of it, but also, he wasn't sure he owned anything that looked like this. Well, he owned things that  _ looked _ like it, but not these  _ particular _ clothes.

He also realised there was dirt beneath him, not the bed he had been expecting if he had been rescued. He looked around him.

_ Oh. _

This wasn't Brooklyn. Or at least wasn't any part of Brooklyn he was familiar with. Large, lush green plants rose high up into the sky. They were almost impossibly big. So big, in fact, that Magnus was pretty sure they were unnatural. Only magic could have made them so large. So either he had shrunk or the plants had grown to the size of skyscrapers.

"He's definitely awake!"

Magnus turned towards the voices and did a double take. Those things were... Not human. Though they seemed vaguely familiar.

"You're faeries. I've seen you at my parties," Magnus said. The two creatures were not as he remembered them. Where their feet should have been were instead long roots and when he looked closely he saw that what he’d thought were tasteless bonnets were infact petals attached to the Seelies heads. They were… flowers?

"Oh god, am I hallucinating before I die?" He asked, clutching his head. The flower fairies bent down, looking at him strangely.

"Hallucinations?"

"Die?"

They repeated after him before looking at each other. He stared at them, willing this to make sense. Ali Baba, the skeletons, Alec dragging him towards the Hudson... And then nothing. No recollection of how he ended up here at all.

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!"

Magnus blinked, looking up. The flower fairies were cowering now.

"Oh... Oooo! That's why you are talking about dying! The Queen of Hearts is after you!"

Queen of Hearts?

Oh lord, was this Alice in Wonderland? Had the curse taken his dying brain and transported him into one final torment before he died?

Or was it somehow worse than that? Was this reality?

"Run, Mr. Hatter!" The flowers screamed. Magnus got to his feet. There was no pain, for that at least, he was grateful. He began to run.

As he ran he tried to assess his situation.

Of course, he'd be the Mad Hatter. The Mad Hatter threw parties and talked in riddles and was quietly subversive towards the system. If his brain was going to create some twisted dream before it died, it would make sense for him to cast himself as the Hatter. One point for this being his own mind playing tricks on him.

He darted through blades of grass taller than trees, weaving through them until he could no longer hear the screams of the Queen of Hearts. He had no doubt that she was still pursuing him though. From what he remembered of the Lewis Carroll tale, she was not the forgiving kind.

He stopped to catch his breath, doubling over and thinking things through. He would have to escape the Queen, first and foremost, because he was sure that if he died here he’d die in real life as well. Then he had to try and find a way back to the real world where he’d have a fighting chance of surviving.

He raised his hand, checking to see if he could use his magic. Nothing happened. Either Wonderland didn’t allow Warlock magic or this was part of the curse. So it was a double whammy. Not only was he undoubtedly trapped in his own mind, the curse had imposed itself on his dreams.

"Oh, you look like you're lost!"

Magnus looked up. Lounging in a blade of grass above him was something vaguely feline and vaguely familiar. A girl, with cat ears and a tale and a smile stretched unnervingly across her face.

"Isabelle?" He asked. The "cat" slinked down the grass blade, stretching at the bottom in a way that showed off every curve Isabelle had.

“Who’s that? I’m sure I don’t know anyone by that name,” the cat purred.

"I don't know where I am," Magnus said. It was strange, he felt disjointed. He was reminded of how it felt to be in a dream. You never remembered going somewhere, but you were suddenly there. You never remembered a person arriving, but they’d suddenly say something and it would be like they’d been there all along. 

It was strange that he’d conjured Isabelle but if she was part of his subconscious, she should know the answers to his questions, right? 

"Well, where are you going?" She replied. Magnus growled under his breath. Was this what he sounded like when he was being snarky? He'd never realised how annoying it was.

"I need to get away from the Queen," he said, pretty sure that he couldn't be caught by her or he would be dead, in this world and whatever one he'd left behind.

"Then it doesn't matter where you are, it only matters where she is, doesn't it?" The cat asked. Magnus rubbed at his head tiredly. The cat suddenly held out her paw, a top hat balanced on her pads, secured by vicious looking claws.

"You lost your hat, Hatter. What's a hatter without a hat?" It asked. She asked. Magnus truly wasn't sure if he wanted to think of this strange creature as Isabelle at all. He took the hat from her, putting it on his head at an angle.

If he’d thought the hat was magical and maybe held some answers, he’d have been wrong. It seemed to just be a hat. He tried to temper his impatience.

"There, much better. Do you know where you are now?" The cat asked. Magnus clenched his fist.

"Wonderland," he replied. The cat beamed.

"That's correct! See, you know where you are. Now, as for where you're going, who do you want to see?"

Magnus didn't think that had much to do with anything. Who he wanted to see was far less important than who he was trying to avoid right now.

"You are thinking of the Queen, but if you want to see her, you must only wait here. I think you want to see Alice!" The cat said happily. Magnus shrugged. Sure, whatever. Alice was supposed to defeat the Evil Queen, right? That'd work.

"Although... Alice has changed lately. She is not quite herself," the cat looked mournful. “But what is Alice, if not Alice? Alice is all she has ever been to us, so it must be her, right?”

Magnus couldn’t even begin to fathom that logic. If this was his dying brain playing tricks on him, then he really needed to stop drinking so much. It was clearly frying his brain cells.

“Can you take me to Alice?” he asked. The cat smiled again, bright and cheerful.

“No! But if you follow your heart, you’ll know the way,” it said. Magnus groaned. What was this Disney-level bullshit? He didn’t have  _ time _ for this.

“Oh, my heart’s a little busy right now. Maybe you could point me in the right direction?” he asked. The cat’s smile grew impossibly wide, wider than a smile on any human face should stretch. Magnus felt a chill go down his spine.

“Follow the heart,” it repeated and pointed with a claw.

Magnus turned. A Playing Card Soldier had run into the clearing, the Two of Hearts. Magnus looked back to where the cat had been, but it was gone. Had it betrayed him to the Queen after all?

The Two of Hearts looked familiar though. Magnus squinted at it from across the clearing.

“Stop! In the name of the Queen!”

Magnus knew that voice, just as he had known Isabelle’s, and he groaned. He wondered if his subconscious was trying to punish him.

“You are not here. If this is my imagination, I definitely would never imagine you,” Magnus said forcefully. The Two of Hearts gave him a puzzled look that Magnus had seen on Jace Wayland’s before.

“Er, Mr. Hatter. Are you okay? I mean, I thought you’d run away, but if you’re going to come peacefully…” Wayland said, lowering the heart-shaped glaive he was carrying. Magnus crossed his arms. Wayland was never that nice. Obviously this  _ was _ in his head.

“I’m not coming with you. I’m going to see Alice,” he announced, because that seemed like the only objective he had right now. The Playing Card seemed a little shocked at that, but then a look came over his face that seemed almost wistful.

“I want to see Alice too,” he said. “But I heard she’s different now.”

Magnus could honestly not care if Alice had grown two heads and breathed fire. If she was his ticket out of this crazy place, then he would take it.

“If you promise not to speak, you can come with me,” Magnus offered. The Playing Card seemed to be thinking about it. Magnus waited while he thought.

“Okay,” he said. Magnus let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding.

Together they set off into the undergrowth.

*

“The medical equipment is registering unusual brain activity,” Isabelle said as she checked Magnus’ pupils with a torch. They were still unresponsive. The Warlock had been in a coma in the Institute for almost a day, and Alec couldn’t stop the guilt gnawing at his stomach.

Magnus’ fireball and bought him enough time to drag the Warlock to the river, but he’d had to pull the unconscious man into the water to keep him safe. The skeleton warriors had prowled the shores for hours, waiting for them to come back to dry land.

In that time, Alec knew that Magnus had lost a lot of blood. Not only that, but even with Alec’s strength, it had been hard to keep them both above the water for that length of time. Isabelle had pumped quite a lot of toxic Hudson water from the Warlock’s lungs.

And then there was the cold.

Alec wasn’t sure if he’d saved Magnus’ life or killed him.

“He’s in a coma. Do you think he can hear us?” Alec asked. “Is that the brain activity?”

“I… couldn’t say,” Isabelle replied. “It’s impossible to know.”

Alec hung his head.

“You mustn’t blame yourself, Alec. It’s the curse doing these things to him. You weren’t responsible for that,” Isabelle said, putting her hand on his shoulder. Alec shrugged her off.

“What do you know? You weren’t there, and I was. There’s no one else to blame,” he said. Isabelle looked like she wanted to slap him but felt too sorry him to do it.

“It’s the curse’s fault,” she repeated. Alec looked at Magnus’ face, paler than normal, wiped clean of glitter and eyeliner. The curse’s fault? Yeah rig-

“The curse!” Alec said, getting to his feet. “We have to check to see if the story is completed! If not, those things might be coming for him again!”

*

“I’m laaaaaaaaaaaaaate!”

Magnus wondered why his subconscious couldn’t conjure up people he actually  _ liked _ . Catalina or Ragnor or someone, anyone other than these morons the curse was surrounding him with.

The White Rabbit had apparently taken the form of Clary’s Mundane friend, Stephen… Or Stuart… Or Samuel… It started with an S anyway.

“The Queen will have my head, she will!” the Rabbit cried. The Playing Card that looked like Wayland was glaring at the rabbit.

Magnus grabbed the rabbit by the ears, preventing his progress.

“We’re looking for Alice,” he said firmly. The rabbit stared at him.

“Alice is gone,” he said. “She left us. But there’s a new one who’s taken her place. His name is Alec.”

Magnus nodded. Of course. That made sense. This was dream so naturally the last person he had seen before he passed out should be the most important person in it.

“Can you take us to Alec?” he asked. The rabbit pulled a face, his little whiskers twitching as he did so. The Playing Card, however, was absently rubbing his knuckles. Honestly, Magnus didn’t care if they punched each other’s noses out as long as they did it when he wasn’t there anymore.

“I guess I could…” he said, eyeing the Playing Card warily. Magnus let go of the rabbit’s ear. No sooner had he let go, though, than the rabbit dashed away from them, shrieking at the top of his lungs.

“The Hatter! The Hatter is here! Your majesty the Hatter has come!”

There was the sound of thunderous hoofbeats and trumpets that were far too close. In the way that danger could be so suddenly  _ there _ in dreams, he knew the Queen was close. 

Magnus swallowed as he soon realised that they were surrounded. The Two of Hearts was backing away from him now, disappearing amongst the other Playing Card soldiers who had appeared.

“Coward!” Magnus called at him, though it really made no difference now.

The Queen arrived. Magnus stared at her. Oh, naturally, that would be who his brain chose.

Maryse Lightwood stared down her nose at him.

“Now, Hatter, are you going to help me build a new world?”

*

Alec ripped open the door to Magnus’ house, running straight through to the Curse Room. The book was lying how Magnus had left it, open at the contents page. Alec scanned the list.

_ Little Red Riding Hood… _

_ Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves _

_ The Jabberwocky _

Alec grabbed his phone, hitting up Clary’s speed dial. He had no idea what the third story was. He remembered Magnus saying something about Ali Baba, so he guessed that was the skeleton warriors they had escaped from. But if the book was to be believed, Magnus was already in the grip of the next curse.

Clary picked up the phone on the third ring.

“Alec?” she sounded genuinely surprised that he’d called her. He didn’t have time to exchange pleasantries.

“Clary, what’s the story of Ali Baba?” he asked. He had to make sure that he was right about the skeleton warriors being gone before he even tried to pronounce the new word that he was certain wasn’t even English.

“U-um,” Clary seemed to sense his urgency and she took a deep breath as she tried to order her thoughts. “It’s about a man who finds some treasure then the thieves who own the treasure try to kill him. Why? Is this to do with Magnus?”

Alec breathed a sigh of relief. So at least they weren’t going to have to deal with an undead army any time soon.

“Yes. That was the last part of the curse. But now there’s a new part. Magnus is in a coma at the Institute right now. He was injured really badly…” Alec said, flicking through the pages of the book until he could find the illustration for the Jabberwocky story.

“Is he going to be okay?” she asked. Alec gritted his teeth.

“I don’t know. I’m looking at the cursed book now and it’s listing a new story. Listen carefully and see if you know it. It’s called The Jabberwocky,” he said. He heard Clary draw a sharp breath. “Did I say it right?”

“Yeah, you did. It’s a famous Mundane poem. I think it’s from Alice in Wonderland or one of those types of books. It’s a nonsense poem about a terrible creature… Hang on, Simon, move out of the way I need to use the computer…”

Alec heard Simon moving out of the way and the sound of rapid typing.

“Yeah, it’s a monster in the Alice books,” Clary confirmed. Alec grimaced. Magnus wouldn’t be able to defend himself against that right now.

“How can it be defeated?” he asked. Clary made a helpless noise.

“I don’t know. It’s a nonsense poem! The words don’t make sense!” she said. “The Alice books are all set in a dreamland where everything is weird and kind of trippy in a sixties, too much LSD way!”

Alec stared down at the illustration of the Jabberwocky, with its snarling teeth and long, scaled neck.

“A dream land? The Alice books, the Jabberwocky, it takes place in dreams?” he clarified.

“Yeah. Um, I’m reading the poem now… Something about a vorpal blade. I don’t know what vorpal means though it could mean anything!” she said, her voice rising in panic. Alec threw the book down on the table, dashing back out of the door.

“Apparently it was taken from the words ‘verbal’ and ‘gospel’,” Clary was reading something from the internet no doubt. “But even the author himself wasn’t sure.”

“Clary, I’m going to hang up. I’ve got to get back to Magnus right away,” Alec said, his heart in his throat. He had failed to protect Magnus at the tomb, he would not be too late this time.

“What? Why? Alec!” There was a commotion on the other end of the line and Alec was sure that Clary was getting ready to run back to the Institute as well.

“Because if the Jabberwocky only attacks people in their dreams, then it’s got easy access while Magnus is in a coma, don’t you think?”

*

“No clever words this time, Mr. Hatter?” The Queen of Hearts asked. Magnus looked to the heavens. Was this how he went? Beheaded by a Lightwood? It wasn’t how he’d pictured it, all things told.

“Fine. If you will not speak to defend yourself, then we’ll pass judgment without a trial!” she declared. Magnus held up his hands.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t defend myself!” he protested, but the cards were already surging forward. He felt their paper hands binding him and was surprised by how strong they were.

“OFF WITH HIS HEAD!”

Magnus struggled against the bonds, even as the Executioner, the Ace of Clubs, readied his blade.

“STOP!”

Magnus looked up to see Alec Lightwood, but not like he’d ever seen him before.

His subconscious truly was a strange beast, if it came up with things like this on his deathbed. Alec was wearing… Well. It was something that Magnus had seen children wear during his brief time in Victorian London. It looked decidedly strange on a teenager. A little sailor themed outfit, complete with cap and knee socks. The light blue did make Alec’s eyes look most bewitching though.

“Alice!” The Queen roared.

“Alec, actually,” Alec replied, folding his arms. “Don’t you have something better to do? Than tormenting the poor Hatter?”

Magnus felt the cards loosening their grip and pulled himself free. The cards didn’t seek to rebind him, obviously way more interested in looking at the showdown between the Queen and “Alice”.

“I don’t see what business it is of yours,” the Queen replied. Magnus’ heart was in his throat. Alec looked fearless, though he also looked ridiculous to a certain degree in his current get up.

It was all too bizarre.

“Oh, but it is my business. You see, I promised to protect the Mad Hatter. And so you can’t harm a hair on his head!” Alec said. Magnus blinked. Did his dream Alec remember the promise of help that he’d given after the Red Riding Hood incident?

“Watch me,” the Queen said, sneering down at Alec. Magnus saw the Executioner moving towards him again. He backed up a step but there were Playing Cards behind him that pushed him forward.

Then there was a roar, loud enough to make the trees shake.

“JABBERWOCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

*

“Alec! His brainwaves are showing he’s having some kind of night terror! That shouldn’t be possible when he’s in a coma!” Isabelle shrieked when he came in. Alec almost tripped over his feet as he tried to slow himself down. He grabbed Magnus’ hand tightly, as though by gripping his hand hard enough he could pull the warlock out of a coma.

“It’s the curse. He’s in some Mundane poem or something right now. Clary is working on it,” he said, his eyes scanning Magnus to see if there was  _ anything _ to be done. He could hear the beeping of the machine, faster and faster.

“He’s going to go into cardiac arrest if we aren’t careful,” Isabelle said. “I don’t understand. All the things going on in his body aren’t-”

“I told you, it’s the curse. Nothing is going to make sense,” Alec snapped back. Isabelle’s eyes were wide and panicked.

“We have to sedate him. We have to get his heartrate down,” she said. Alec grabbed her arm.

“This thing can only hurt him in his dreams. If you sedate him, we aren’t going to be able to wake him up,” he said. Isabelle looked between her brother and the heart monitor. He could see she was conflicted.

“He’s going to die anyway if we don’t do something Alec!” she protested. Alec looked at the Warlock’s face, wondering what Magnus would want them to do.

“Just give Clary a little more time…” he asked. Isabelle broke free of his grasp, but she did take a few steps away from Magnus all the same.

“She’s got no more than five minutes.”

*

If Magnus had to describe the creature that had appeared, he would have had to create words from nothingness. There was nothing to describe the horror that the creature inspired in him. He remembered, years ago, reading the Necronomicon and thinking the descriptions of Cthulu were overwrought.

Now he could understand how Lovecraft couldn’t put such things into words.

“Magnus!”

Alec was running towards him. Magnus reached out to him. Their hands clasped tightly as they huddled behind a stack of Playing Cards. Magnus thought that they might actually be dead. They were rather singed at the edges from the blast of fire that had erupted from the Jabberwocky’s mouth.

“How do we beat it?” Alec asked, staring at him expectantly. Magnus shook his head.

“How would I know? You’re the… Messiah of this world or something!” he said. He heard the Jabberwocky’s ear-splitting roar and ducked his head, grimacing against the noise. His ears were still ringing even after the noise stopped when Alec pulled on his hand to get his attention.

“Magnus… It’s your dream. Tell me, how do we beat this?” Alec asked. Magnus stared at him for a moment.

“I don’t know. Oh God, Alec, I don’t know…”

*

His phone rang.

“Clary. Please god tell me you’ve got something,” Alec said. Clary was breathing hard on the other end of the line.

“Simon has been studying the internet for interpretations of vorpal. There’s nothing concrete but… Have you tried the Lord’s Prayer? Verbal and Gospel. It’s the only thing we can think of!” she said. Alec didn’t waste any time, moving up the bed so that Magnus could hear him clearly.

He began to recite the Lord’s Prayer, hoping that it wasn’t harming Magnus more than it might save him. He pressed his hand into Magnus’ and prayed.

*

“Think Magnus!” Alec said. There was a whooshing sound and Magnus looked up to see that the Jabberwocky had used its wings to rear back, talons slashing through deck after deck of soldiers. It’s teeth dripped disgusting slime.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son… The jaws that bite, the claws that catch…” Magnus mumbled to himself. How did the boy in the poem beat the darn thing?

He felt something warm slide into his hand. Words flowing through his head like a whisper, though he couldn’t catch what they were saying. It felt like someone was holding his hand for less than a second, before there was something metallic in it.

He held up his hand.

“Vorpal… A vorpal blade!”

It barely weighed anything and looked suspiciously like a seraph blade. He found didn’t care. The Jabberwocky was rearing again, it’s demonic eyes staring down at them. Magnus realised he knew where he’d seen those eyes before. He’d seen them in the face of his father. 

He quickly threw the blade to Alec, who caught it deftly. The other gave him a quick smile, before the blade went snicker-snack and Magnus woke.

*

Magnus couldn’t open his eyes. Everything hurt. He could barely breathe. His mouth was dry. Someone above him was intoning the Lord’s Prayer. “Oh please stop that. I don’t need my last rites yet.”

“Magnus!”

He thought that voice might be Isabelle’s, or possibly Alec’s. He cracked his eyes open a little but the world swam before his vision so he closed them again.

“My mouth tastes like I drank half the Hudson,” he said. He heard a sound that sounded halfway between a laugh and a sob.

“You did, that’s why.”

Ah, that was definitely Alec.

“How is my rose doing?” he asked. He felt someone squeeze his hand tightly.

“Last I was there, it was fine. Only a few petals had fallen,” he said. Magnus grimaced, and tried to open his eyes all the way. The brightness of the room was almost too much for his eyes.

He saw Alec leaning over him, blue eyes full of relief that was quickly guarded when he saw Magnus was looking at him.

“Good. I’ll… I’ll…”

Magnus couldn’t keep his eyes open. He could feel sleep pulling on him.

“You need your rest Magnus. Get some sleep,” Isabelle was saying. He felt her cool hands on his forehead before he slipped into slumber.

*

“Alec, are we going to talk about this?” Isabelle asked, once she was sure that Magnus was asleep again. Alec looked at her, his expression extremely guarded. She wished that he would talk to her, would share things with her, but that wasn’t his way. Especially not about things like this.

She was worried though. This curse was nasty. There was a real possibility that Magnus could die. She didn’t want her brother going from an impossible crush on Jace to a doomed crush on Magnus instead, even if she had been hoping he would be honest with himself sooner or later.

“There’s nothing to discuss. We’re Shadowhunters. It’s our job to help Magnus break his curse,” he said. Isabelle nodded.

“And the fact that he’s sexy and into you doesn’t factor in at all?” she asked. Alec gave her a level look.

“I’m not gay,” he said, standing up and dropping Magnus’ hand. Isabelle wished she hadn’t said anything. She doubted Magnus would be happy to find anyone other than Alec holding his hand when he awoke.

“I just think-”

“Well don’t,” Alec warned, before leaving the room.

Isabelle took her brother’s place at Magnus’ side, holding his hand.

“You hear that Magnus. He’s not gay. He’s just… really into helping you,” she said, aware the other couldn’t hear her but not caring. She stroked her thumb over the back of Magnus’ hand.

“I hope he isn’t still lying to himself as well as me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter preview:  
> It felt strange to have Magnus pressed against him so intimately. Alec had always been able to tell that Magnus was attractive. He had been bemused and flattered with the Warlock’s flattery, and more than a little embarrassed. He wasn’t prepared to admit to anyone that he was gay, not yet, but he still couldn’t deny that being pressed up against Magnus like this felt… right.


	5. Danse Macabre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why, hello, and welcome to the one-man show!” Magnus said, his feet moving in an elaborate tap dance step before stopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for a late update in the schedule - I had an unexpectedly busy weekend without internet access. We're back to our regularly scheduled programming now however.

“Right… Clary… You can do this,” Clary told herself, hand on the doorknob. “You’re just going to go and…put things straight.”

 

She held her head up. Part of her even believed her little pep talk.

 

“Magnus, I need to talk to you,” Clary walked into Magnus’ bedroom where he was supposed to be resting, hoping she looked determined and not intimidated at all. The bed was empty, however, and instead she saw movement from next to the wardrobe.

 

Magnus turned to look at her. His shirt was unbuttoned and uncufflinked, his trousers were missing his belt. He had clearly been in the middle of dressing himself.

 

Clary blushed and quickly turned around. She heard Magnus chuckle to himself.

 

“The first peek is free, but if you want anymore, you have to pay,” he teased. Clary felt her cheeks burn.

 

“I’m not looking!”

 

He was on his feet again, at least. His ribs were no longer bandaged, the arrow wounds in his chest and thigh had been healed so only faint scars remained. As soon as possible, he’d requested that he be moved back to his own apartment, away from the hospital room at the Institute that he’d been forced into while his vitals stabilised.

 

Clary and the others were still checking in on him as regularly as they could though. The next part of the curse was no doubt going to pounce soon and could strike at any time. Alec had been particularly proactive about making sure that it was an official mission and had been very specific about the rules.

 

_“We’re Shadowhunters. This was an illegal act of aggression against a Warlock who has only been an asset to the Institute,” Alec explained to his mother, his head held high. They were all in the main office, having been dragged away from Magnus’ room where they’d been planning their next move in trying to keep the warlock safe._

 

_Clary had to say that she was impressed at how well Alec was holding it together, especially as she remembered his voice on the phone, fraught and cracked, as he tried anything to save Magnus from the Jabberwocky. A sentence she would have laughed at the absurdity of a few weeks earlier._

 

_It was clear to her that Alec had developed some sort of bond with Magnus, though whether it was romantic or just friendship, she couldn’t accurately say._

 

_“Alec, you do realise that having a Downworlder in the Institute for any length of time is going to reflect badly on us,” Maryse Lightwood had said. “Even a High Warlock like Magnus Bane.”_

 

_“If we can break his curse, or better yet, find the person who cursed him and bring them to trial, he’ll owe us his life. It’s good leverage,” Alec replied. Clary felt Isabelle shifting uneasily by her side. She glanced at her to see that Isabelle had an unhappy look in her eye, even though she held her tongue._

 

_“Well, that’s true enough,” Robert Lightwood replied. “I’m uncomfortable having Bane here, but the amount we have to pay him every time we want something… It’d be good to have him at our beck and call for a few centuries.”_

 

 _Alec didn’t even wince as they talked about Magnus as though he were a dog that would crawl to heel if they asked. Clary opened her mouth to remind them they were talking about someone who was still_ half _-human but Jace none-too-subtly stood on her foot to keep her silent._

 

_“So we’re agreed. Magnus Bane will be our charge for the duration of his curse?” Alec asked. Maryse looked hard at her son and Clary felt her breath catch for a moment, certain that Alec had been caught in… something. Whatever that thing was he had with Magnus._

 

_“We’re agreed,” she said finally. Alec didn’t even smile._

 

“You can turn around, Clary. I’m all done up and made pretty,” Magnus said, rousing her from her reverie. Where she had been burning with determination when she came in, she now felt a little more cautious on how she approached the subject.

 

She turned around. Magnus was indeed dressed. A black shirt with gold leaf patterning just… all over it. A deep green jacket over it with another pattern on it but somehow it didn’t clash. Somehow, Magnus just got it all to work.

 

She would never stop feeling incompetent when she compared her own sense of style to those around her. Seriously, Alec was the only one who seemed to dress primarily for comfort the same as her.

 

“Your curse… it’s Beauty and the Beast, right?” She decided to start gently. Magnus raised an eyebrow and walked over to her. His expression was light, casual, but Clary thought she detected a hint of something else beneath it. Something old and tired.

 

“If I say ‘yes’, you’re going to talk to me about how it’s never too late to find my Belle. If I say ‘no’, you’re going to call me a liar and talk to me about how I should be chasing after True Love’s Kiss,” Magnus said. Damn he was astute. “So, really, why don’t you just say what you need to say, Clary Fairchild?”

 

Clary gritted her teeth and her courage as Magnus breezed past her. She turned to follow him, aware that she was now talking to the back of his head.

 

“You didn’t tell them about the Beauty and the Beast part of the curse. You didn’t tell them you need to find your True Love, or that they will have to love you too! I don’t think Jace or Alec or any of them understand that this is about more than fighting these fairy stories and making sure you survive!” Clary said, her voice rising in volume. Magnus had been heading towards the kitchen, Chairman Meow, his spoiled cat, was curling around his legs. But now he stopped, turning to face her.

 

“And you’ve told them?” He asked, pinning her with a stare that made her remember that Magnus was _not_ just an eccentric partygoer, but an extremely powerful warlock.

 

“No,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you about it first.”

 

Magnus looked surprised for a moment, but then he bent down to scoop up the Chairman and continue his path to the kitchen. Clary hurriedly followed him.

 

“The true nature of the curse is extremely personal,” Magnus said, putting Chairman Meow on the kitchen counter and pouring him some food from a container. With his other hand he gestured vaguely at the coffee machine, which began to churn away in the corner. “Latte? Cappuccino? I think it can even make Macchiato if you’re that way inclined?”

 

“Er… A latte… please,” Clary said, aware that she was being put on the back foot again. She steeled her will. She _would_ get Magnus to talk about this. If Alec was going to make it their duty to save Magnus, she needed all the information. They _all_ needed all the information.

 

“One latte coming up,” Magnus said, another click of his fingers and a cup materialised, catching the first shot of espresso.

 

“Magnus, you can’t just bury your head in the sand about this. Alec is putting everything on the line at the Institute to try and help you and he only has half the facts-” She stopped when Magnus whirled around to face her, his eyes narrowed.

 

“Has it occurred to you, Clarissa Fairchild, that I have no desire to discuss my love life with an eighteen year old girl?” He asked. “Or that it might be no business of the Institute, or anyone except me?”

 

“Has it occurred to you that if you don’t start actively looking for a way to fulfil the requirements of the curse that you’re actually going to die and waste everyone’s efforts keeping you safe anyhow?” Clary retorted. Magnus leaned back against the counter.

 

“I have been alive four hundred years, give or take a few decades. And I’ve loved, passionately and deeply,” Magnus said, his expression dark. “I’ve loved despite misgivings. I’ve loved through betrayals and watched those I love fall in love with other people. I’ve watched people I love die, while I still live. Four centuries, Clary. You think it’s possible for me to find my One True Love in less than a year?”

 

Clary didn’t know what to say, but it didn’t seem like Magnus expected an answer.

 

“Mortals think they have it all worked out. And you’re young even for a mortal. You think that the boy you fall in love with at eighteen will be with you forever, that you’ll live the happily ever after life. That he’s your _prince_. It all seems so simple,” Magnus sounded almost envious. “But it isn’t. I’ve found that what you mortals call “true love” is common. You fall in and out of it every day. But to an immortal, one who has lived long enough to see the cycles over and over again…”

 

Magnus sneered, an expression that Clary had never seen him make before.

 

“The woman who cursed me knew that I had not loved in a long time. I’m almost certain she knew that these were my thoughts on love. Even if I prioritize self-preservation and actively seek to fall in love, _I_ would have to consider it True Love, by _my own_ definitions, for it to lift the curse,” he said.

 

The coffee machine beeped to show that the coffee was ready. Magnus’ face went blank and he turned to retrieve it for her. When he turned back towards her, his expression was his usual confident self. For the first time, Clary realised it was at least partially a mask.

 

“Your latte, Miss Fairchild,” he said, holding it out to her.

 

“So you just want us to fight the curses and then let you die?” She asked, taking it from his outstretched hand. Magnus took a few steps backwards and regarded her seriously.

 

“I am the only one who can solve the Beauty and the Beast curse. I am the only one who can fall in love, after all. I don’t think the Institute will consider setting me up on dates as an essential mission in any case. I’d appreciate it, Clary, if you don’t clue in the others on the details of the story,” he said. Clary sipped her coffee.

 

“What about Alec?” Clary asked. “You’re always flirting with him. What if I told him-”

 

“Absolutely not,” Magnus said firmly. Clary couldn’t help but feel a little confused. “I’m almost certain that True Love cannot be found in _duty_ , which I’m sure you know, is a Lightwood specialty.”

 

Clary took another sip of her latte, thinking. Magnus wasn’t wrong, but she couldn’t help thinking that he was wrong about Alec. She knew that, despite his standoffishness towards her, he was capable of loving people against his sense of what was right or wrong. She knew that he’d been at least partially in love with Jace when they’d first met. Though now, she couldn’t say if it were still true.

 

Chairman Meow hopped from the countertop and sauntered out of the room. Magnus was constructing some large, frothy caffeine monster that seemed to have far too much sugar and possibly even a touch of whiskey in it.

 

By the time he was done, Clary had finished her own latte. She set it down on the countertop.

 

“There’s just one more thing,” she said, waiting until Magnus turned to her before continuing. “What happens if the next person laid up in the Institute hooked up to life monitors isn’t you, but one of us? I don’t think you’re suicidal Magnus, I don’t think you’d put us all in danger like this unless you knew that you were going to win. I’m going to choose to believe in you, Magnus. My mother did, so I will.”

 

She didn’t wait for a response. She’d said all she could in any case. She walked out the door, sending a message to the Institute to confirm that Magnus was alive and well as of that morning.

 

“How can you be alive four hundred years and still be so stupid?” Clary asked herself frustratedly once she got out onto the street. Growling under her breath she turned to take the subway.

 

*

 

Magnus savored his coffee. Clary had truly given him a lot to think about. Keeping the Beauty and the Beast curse from the Shadowhunters had been initially a matter of privacy. Now it seemed that Alec had gotten carried away by making it an official _duty_ to beat this curse, and that was certainly unexpected.

 

He rather liked Alec, Clary and Isabelle, he could tolerate the Mundane Simon, but he didn’t care for any of the others. Especially not Alec’s parabatai. And now that he was an official ‘case’ of theirs, he was sure that other Shadowhunters would be all up in his business before long.

 

He didn’t want to give the Institute any such leverage over him. Especially not in something so… personal.

 

He’d meant much of what he’d said to Clary, though perhaps he’d said it rather melodramatically. And she was right. He wasn’t waiting to die, but he didn’t have high hopes of being magically introduced to the love of his life either. Or scientifically introduced. Or any other kind of introduction.

 

He took another sip from his cup, walking out of the kitchen and towards the Curse Room. He had taken to checking the book every morning to see if a new part had been added. Today, Clary’s visit had thrown off his rhythm.

 

He opened the door, looking at the rose thoughtfully.

 

Three petals had fallen, presumably one for each of the stories he’d lived through. He stared at their wilted remains. They almost looked like shrivelled up hearts. How… foreboding.

 

Magnus turned his attention to the book, picking it up and opening it to the contents page. Before he had slept the night before, it had still been only three tales - Red Riding Hood, Ali Baba and The Jabberwocky.

 

Now there was a fourth.

 

“The Red Shoes,” Magnus read aloud and felt a chill go down his spine. He looked down at his feet, where he distinctly remembered having laced up black italian leather dress shoes.

 

Now they were a bright, fire-engine red.

 

“Well, _now_ I’m just going to have to change my whole outfit.”

 

*

 

“I just spoke to Magnus.”

 

That was Isabelle. Alec looked up immediately from where he was training, the punch bag still swinging dangerously. He put his hand up to stop it. Jace, who had been leaning against a wall, coaching his form, stood up straight.

 

“Clary must have just left,” he said. Isabelle nodded. Alec began to unstrap his hands.

 

“New curse?” He asked. Isabelle nodded, her lips thin.

 

“Yeah. Magnus says it’s something called ‘The Red Shoes’,” she said, holding out a tablet with the information on it. Alec leaned forward, taking it from her to glance at her research. Jace was reading over his shoulder.

 

“Dance to death curse,” Jace said, his voice taking on an ironic twist. “Well, if there was any curse out there made to get the Party Warlock-”

 

“Don’t,” Alec said, scrolling down and trying to read the information as quickly as he could. He’d been spending a lot of time reading up on Mundane fairytales recently, but there were just so many and he had no idea which ones were important and which weren’t. In the end, Clary had taken him to one side and told him that he needed to focus on dealing with the effects of the curse as it happened. That trying to understand every Mundane folk tale from every culture in such a short space of time would probably be meaningless in the end.

 

He hadn’t liked the advice, liked it even less when he heard it from Clary, but he had to admit that building an entire cultural knowledge of thousands of years of Mundane civilisation in a few short days was impossible.

 

“So what do we do?” Jace asked, obviously deciding not to tackle Alec’s lack of humor on the subject. Isabelle looked lost.

 

“I don’t know. In every version of the story I’ve seen, she dies,” she said. “It’s a morality tale. The ending is always the girl getting her comeuppance.”

 

“Well, we have to find something,” Alec said, handing her the tablet back. He went to grab his sweatshirt. He needed to shower before he headed to Magnus’ apartment.

 

“I’ll keep looking,” Isabelle promised, turning on her heel. Alec watched her go before he felt a hand grip his bicep. He turned to see Jace watching him, golden eyes fixed on his face. Alec met his gaze, wondering what it was his parabatai saw when he looked at him.

 

“Alec, I’m going to come with you to Magnus’,” Jace said, looking far too serious. Alec nodded.

 

“We probably will just be doing research there, the same as here,” he said. Jace opened his mouth so Alec hurriedly added, “But you’re more than welcome to come along.”

 

Jace shut his mouth, letting go of Alec’s arm. Alec smiled at him and then turned to head to the showers. He didn’t know what had got into Jace, but he hoped that it wouldn’t make things awkward at Magnus’ later. Magnus could be… strange… around Jace.

 

*

 

“Why, hello, and welcome to the one-man show!” Magnus said, his feet moving in an elaborate tap dance step before stopping. Alec blinked at him.

 

“It is still in the early stages, so it comes and goes,” Magnus explained, stepping aside and letting Alec and his parabatai into his apartment. He walked over to the couch and sat down, knowing that soon any kind of rest would be gone from him.

 

“Hello Magnus,” Wayland said. Magnus looked at him, surprised to be greeted. He was immediately suspicious. Had Clary blabbed to him already? He was about to comment when his feet began to do a somewhat awkward charleston from where he was sat.

 

Alec was watching his feet as though mesmerised. Wayland at least had the grace to hide his smirk behind his hand.

 

“Er… what do you know about this story?” Alec asked. Magnus wondered if they really were going to have a normal conversation while his feet danced of their own accord. It truly was ridiculous.

 

“I knew Hans Christian Anderson personally. I was a great fan of his work,” Magnus replied. Alec began to note down the name. Magnus couldn’t help but find it endearing. The Shadowhunters truly were treating it like a real case. They were actually putting effort into protecting a Downworlder. Somewhere, hell was suffering record low temperatures and swine were sprouting wings.

 

“Can you tell us the story as _you_ understand it? If you knew the writer, then you must have a better understanding of the story than Wikipedia,” Wayland prompted. Magnus tore his eyes away from Alec and was grateful that his legs ceased dancing.

 

“The way I understand it is like so…”

 

*

 

_Well, how do these things usually start? Ah yes, once upon a time, there was a girl. Her name was… Kristy or Kelsey or something._

 

_-That doesn’t sound very Danish. That sounds like a valley girl -_

 

_-Jace let him tell the story -_

 

_Yes, anyway she was adopted. When she was poor, before she was adopted, she had these really old red shoes. They probably looked something like what poor Alec has on his feet now-_

 

_-I like my boots, Magnus. Keep to the story -_

 

_Your fashion sense is appalling, that’s why you like the boots. Anyway, when she gets adopted she wants a nice shiny new pair of shoes so she asks her new mother for some. Of course she gets them because she’s spoiled, and Hans always had this weird thing about spoiled girls with red hair…_

 

_-Objection, irrelevant -_

 

_-Objection sustained, but Jace, why is this suddenly a court room?-_

 

_Anyway, she wears them to church a few times or something like that. I think it was church. And they start to move by themselves. At first she can take them off, but after a while, she can’t get them off her feet. Stuff happens, I can’t remember what exactly, but the old woman dies and Carrie-_

 

_-I thought it was Kristy-_

 

_Does it matter? It’s not happening to her right now is it? Anyway, Spoiled Girl can’t stop dancing and she can’t go to her own mother’s funeral because it’s not appropriate to wear red shoes and dance at those kind of events usually._

 

_The girl gets her feet chopped off, to try to stop the dancing. But the shoes continue to follow her around, dancing around her. Now that I think about it, I should have been more worried about Hans. He really had some very strange things going on in his imagination…_

 

_-Magnus, focus.-_

 

_Yes, yes, well, she can’t go to church anymore and some stuff about being in a nunnery that’s all very boring. I think in the end an Angel comes down and pardons her or kills her or something._

 

_The end._

 

_*_

 

“Cheerful, isn’t it?” Magnus asked. “And there’s no ambiguity in this one. I probably have a copy of Hans original _Nye Eventyr_ here somewhere.”

 

“Why can you remember the obscure Danish title but not the content of the story?” Wayland asked. Magnus scowled at him and his feet started to tap on the floor.

 

“I covered the most important parts,” he pointed out. Wayland rolled his eyes and took a seat, settling back in it. He looked most relaxed. Magnus wished his feet would stop moving of their own accord so he could be relaxed too.

 

“You don’t seem too worried about this. Do you have a plan?” Wayland asked. Magnus clenched his fists.

 

“Well, I’m rather attached to my feet, but if it’s a choice between my feet or my life I know what I’m going to choose,” he said. He saw Alec wince. It was not an option Magnus wanted to take, but he was pretty sure he could pull in some contacts who would make him prosthetic feet. He didn’t think he’d enjoy watching his feet dance around him for all eternity too much though.

 

“Neither of those are going to happen Magnus,” Alec promised. Magnus was about to respond when suddenly he was on his feet and moonwalking towards his bedroom. He sighed.

 

“You had better follow. I don’t have much control over this right now,” he said. Alec and Wayland’s faces were both identically shocked.

 

It should have been comical.

 

But even though Magnus refused to show it; he was scared.

 

*

 

“So let me get this straight. Magnus can’t stop dancing?” Simon asked. He and Clary had arrived at the Institute forty-five minutes after Alec and Jace had left. Clary had a peculiar look on her face when Isabelle had told her about the most recent development, and had silently just started reading every article she could on The Red Shoes.

 

Simon, however, seemed to have questions.

 

“That’s what Jace said when he phoned in. Apparently it’s progressing rapidly too. It’s already at a stage where Magnus can’t sit down,” she said. Simon was clearly trying to keep a straight face.

 

“Did Jace send a video?” He asked, his tone hopeful. Isabelle felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards and she was about to respond when she heard Clary sigh angrily.

 

“It’s not a joke. These curses are trying to kill Magnus before-” She let out an angry sound. “Before he can last the year. If we don’t do something, and fast, he’s going to die of exhaustion. Simon, how long can someone go without sleep?”

 

Simon thought about it, the smile gone from his face. “The world record is maybe… ten or eleven days I think?”

 

“So let’s halve that. Magnus is dancing. That’s got to be more exhausting than just staying awake,” Clary said, clicking through another article and scrolling. “He’s probably going to get dehydrated quickly too. We should message Alec and make sure that he knows to keep Magnus drinking.”

 

“I didn’t think about that,” Isabelle said softly. “It doesn’t mention that she could die from dancing too much in any of the myths.”

 

“This isn’t a story though, is it?” Clary said, turning away from the computer. “This is real life. Magnus will die unless we find a way to stop this. He’ll be exhausted within hours. Think about how quickly people get tired dancing in clubs after all.”

 

Isabelle pulled out her phone, sending a message to both Alec and Jace, before she walked back to her monitor. An appropriately chastened Simon sat next to her.

 

She began to read article after article about anything even remotely related to the story.

 

“Doesn’t look good, does it?” Simon asked after an hour, his voice low. Isabelle gave him a frightened look.

 

“No, it really doesn’t.”

 

*

 

“Are you alright?” Alec asked. He held a bottle of water to Magnus, who took it and drank deeply. He was drenched in sweat, his feet hadn’t stopped moving for hours. His breathing was rough.

 

“Well, usually I only dance this much in Vegas. It’s decidedly more fun when there’s music… and someone to dance with,” Magnus replied. Alec found himself smiling despite himself. Magnus finished the water bottle and discarded it, before holding out a hand to Alec.

 

Alec stared at it.

 

“Oh no, absolutely no way,” he said, edging backwards. He was surprised when he felt a sharp prod between his shoulder blades.

 

“You’re meant to be helping. If Magnus says it might be easier on him if he has company, I think you should volunteer to share that burden, Alec,” Jace said. Alec felt his ears burning. Magnus was still extending his hand, though he was moving closer.

 

“I’ve got the music,” Jace said, backing away to go to Magnus’ stereo. Soon there was a rather soulful melody playing through the lounge. Alec looked at Jace in horror, but his parabatai just gave him an amused look.

 

“I’m going to get some more water for Foxtrot here and check in with Clary and Isabelle to see if they’ve got anything new for us,” he said, disappearing into the kitchen.

 

Alec forced himself to look back at Magnus. The warlock’s eyes were closed now, exhaustion etched into his face in lines around his mouth and eyes. Just seeing him, painfully bearing the weight of the curse,  made Alec do something he didn’t think he could have done at any other time.

 

He took Magnus’ hand.

 

The Warlock’s eyes sprang open, the pained expression receding. Magnus tugged on his hand and Alec was suddenly pulled flush against him. Magnus led, of course, the curse would allow nothing else. Alec found himself being dragged, left, right, left, right, like he was being rocked backwards and forwards.

 

Soon he fell into the rhythm, being able to do more than just stumble after Magnus steps. The Warlock grinned at him.

 

“Why, Alec, have you never danced before?” He panted. Alec tried to look anywhere than at Magnus.

 

“I-I’ve… I… No,” he decided it was easier just to be honest. Magnus’ hand tightened around his own. He was suddenly being spun around. Magnus kept hold of his wrist, effectively pinning it against the front of Alec’s body as Magnus pressed against him from behind. His other hand went to Alec’s hip.

 

“Magnus!” Alec said warningly. But the Warlock didn’t try to catch a feel. Instead he just swayed back and forth, resting his chin on Alec’s shoulder.

 

It felt strange to have Magnus pressed against him so intimately. Alec had always been able to tell that Magnus was attractive. He had been bemused and flattered with the Warlock’s flattery, and more than a little embarrassed. He wasn’t prepared to admit to anyone that he was gay, not yet, but he still couldn’t deny that being pressed up against Magnus like this felt… right.

 

He just wasn’t sure if it was because it was _Magnus_ or because it was a _man_.

 

“Clary and Isabelle-” Jace’s voice was growing louder from the kitchen. Magnus acted immediately, spinning Alec’s body away from him and only drawing him back in a little. The space between them now was much more noticeable, the dance a lot less intimate. Alec was surprised he missed the contact. “-haven’t found much. They’re currently watching a Mundane film about it to try and gain more interpretations.”

 

Jace stepped into the room. Alec saw his mouth twitch up into a smirk as he brought the water within arm’s reach of Magnus.

 

“No more water. Do you know how difficult it is to go to the bathroom like this?” Magnus snapped. Jace raised an eyebrow.

 

“Do you know how long you’ll live without water?” He retorted. Magnus groaned.

 

“Fine. Fine, fine, fine,” he said, dropping Alec’s hand to drink deeply from the bottle. Alec took a few steps back, aware that Jace was watching him closely.

 

“I’m going to… see if you’ve got that copy of the tale. I may as well read it while we wait,” Alec said, retreating as quickly as he could to the safety of the bookcase. Two pairs of golden eyes followed him.

 

*

 

Magnus was exhausted. Every muscle in his body hurt. It wasn’t a sharp pain. He felt he could have dealt with that better. Instead the exhaustion was seeping through every part of his being. He’d been dancing solidly for sixteen hours. He was at his limit.

 

Wayland had fallen asleep on the couch. Alec was curled up under a lamp, reading the Hans Christian Anderson tale with a sleepy but determined look on his face.

 

Magnus closed his eyes. Maybe if he fell asleep on his feet, the shoes would keep him upright? He felt himself get to the verge of sleep, but then the sudden sensation like falling jerked him awake again, his stomach flopping.

 

“Alec… Alec, I’m not going to be able to do this for much longer,” he warned. Alec looked over at him, sympathy written across his face.

 

“I’m nearly done reading the story. Once I’ve read it I might be able to think of something,” he said. “Your summary missed out a lot.”

 

Magnus wasn’t in the mood to be blamed for anything right now. He sent the other a burning look of which the impact was greatly lessened by his feet deciding to turn him away.

 

He heard Alec turn a page and then a sharp intake of breath.

 

“No one said-” he heard Alec exclaim, and he wished he could turn around and _see_ the shadowhunter’s face. There was a thud.

 

“Magnus, wait here! I think I know what to do!” He said. Magnus heard the sound of Alec’s feet on the floor, the sound of the door opening and closing. Then there was nothing.

 

Magnus looked at the sleeping Wayland on his couch.

 

He really _disliked_ that guy.

 

*

 

It took Alec twenty minutes of calling around to find a twenty-four hour florist in Brooklyn. His feet were already taking him there before he’d even cancelled the call.

 

When he arrived, the grumpy woman behind the desk gave him the most unimpressed look he’d ever seen.

 

“What can I help you with today?” She asked. Alec glanced around the shop.

 

“Roses. Red roses,” he panted. The woman nodded and Alec swore she was the slowest woman he’d ever met. He wanted to leap over the counter and help her. She seemed to be selecting each rose and inspecting it as though it were going to be presented to the Queen of England.

 

“Look, I’m really in a hurry,” he said. The woman glanced over her shoulder.

 

“Forget her birthday?” She asked. Alec blinked and shook his head.

 

“Er, no, I just, er,” he said. The woman nodded understandingly.

 

“Forget _his_ birthday?” She rephrased. Alec didn’t know what to do.

 

“Please. I just need this bouquet, okay?” He said. The woman sighed.

 

“Standard number is twelve. Will that do?” She asked. Alec nodded, digging into his pockets for cash.

 

The florist began curling ribbon as he dumped the dollar bills onto the counter. He stared at her in horror.

 

“Just give me them as they are!” He said, snatching them from the counter.

 

“Hey! Hey kid!” She shouted, but he was already running out of the shop. He was pushing the limits of his shadowhunter speed and stamina as he ran back to Magnus’ apartment.

 

In the story, an angel had appeared at the end. He had given the girl a spray of roses and it had cured her of her ailment while at the same time, killing her. Seeing as Magnus couldn’t be sent to Heaven with his demon blood, Alec was pretty sure that this was supposed to be the cure.

 

And Magnus was just so lucky as to have people with angel blood in them around him.

 

He took the stairs to the apartment three at a time, legs stretching. He burst into the apartment.

 

Magnus was sagging with every movement, his eyes half closed. Alec ran towards him, using one hand to support him and with the other forcing him to take the bouquet of roses.

 

As soon as Magnus’ hand tightened around the stems, he stilled.

 

“You bought me flowers…” Magnus mumbled sleepily. “How sweet of you.”

 

Alec felt Magnus’ full bodyweight fall against him, the shoes fading from red to black. Magnus, unable to support himself, began to slip towards the ground. Alec grabbed under his arms.

 

[ ](http://lisa-jam.tumblr.com/post/141207093958/drawn-this-for-a-malec-fic-once-upon-a-time-in)

 

“Jace! Jace help me!” He called. Jace jerked awake, eyes wide when he saw the roses spread all over the floor and the unconscious Magnus draped in Alec’s arms. He ran over to them, grabbing Magnus’ arm and pulling it over his shoulder.

 

“Alec, your hands,” Jace said. Alec looked down. His hands were torn and bloody. The thorns from the roses had obviously dug into them. He hadn’t even noticed.

 

“I…” Alec stared down at them. Jace just shook his head.

 

“It’s okay. I’ve got him. You go wash up,” he said. Alec nodded and took a step back. Jace dragged the sleeping Magnus to his bedroom.

 

Alec went to the kitchen, washing his hands and watching his blood swirl down the sink.

 

Another curse done. Magnus was alive for another day.

 

*

 

“Yeah, yeah, Alec did something with some roses. I haven’t spoken to him about it yet,” Jace said. Magnus was sprawled on the bed. Jace threw a blanket over him and called it a good job. On the other end of the phone, Clary sighed in relief.

 

“I’m glad Alec’s so smart. I’d have never thought of it,” she said. Jace glanced at the open bedroom door.

 

“Yeah… Alec’s smart and… really invested,” he said. There was silence from the other end of the line.

 

“What do you know, Clary?” He asked. He heard her swallow.

 

“I don’t know anything about Alec, Jace,” she said. He might not be Isabelle, but he’d spent enough time around the Seelie to know when someone was lying by omission. But if it didn’t affect Alec, then he guessed whatever she knew was her secret to keep.

 

“Alright. Well, me and Alec will stay here and monitor his condition for the rest of the night. You guys get some rest,” he said. He hung up and left the bedroom, telling himself he was being abrupt because he was tired, _not_ because he felt betrayed by Clary’s lack of trust.

 

Alec was on the couch, two towels wrapped around his hands. The roses were still scattered across the floor. Alec was staring at them as though they were snakes.

 

“He’s in bed. You should sleep for now. I got enough earlier,” Jace said. Alec jumped, obviously not hearing him come in. It was a sign of how exhausted Alec must be feeling. Without complaint he lay down.

 

Jace wished that Alec would say _something_ about what had happened, but he didn’t want to press it when Alec was so obviously tired.

 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he was going to work out what the hell was going on between his parabatai and this goddamn sassy warlock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beautiful fan art by Lisa_Jam which can be found [here](http://lisa-jam.tumblr.com/post/141207093958/drawn-this-for-a-malec-fic-once-upon-a-time-in). Please go tell the artist you liked her work!


	6. As Harmonious as Peas in a Pod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think I broke my bed and my whole body aches," Magnus announced. Isabelle looked up at him from studying the curse book with a knowing smile.
> 
> "Sounds like you had a fun time," she replied. Beside her, Alec shifted uncomfortably, folding his arms across his chest. Magnus smirked.
> 
> "While I cannot claim to have never damaged my furniture during my nighttime activities, I assure you that this time it was not the case," he said, trying to massage down his spine. Isabelle laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies. This chapter got long and also, it's not as well edited as I would like. I ran out of time because of the weekend.

Magnus groaned. It was sunrise and he was awake. He estimated he had only slept for a few hours at most. If there was a time he hated, it was sunrise... Unless he was seeing it after having stayed out all night, of course, in which case it was a victory.

 

He couldn't get comfortable. It felt like a spring from his mattress was prodding him in the back. He rolled over, but the damage was done, he was awake.

 

He grimaced when he looked down at himself. He was still in the clothes he'd worn yesterday, but they were now rough with dried sweat. He stripped them off, throwing on a bathrobe and made his way to the bathroom.

 

He showered quickly. His muscles ached and pulled as he reached up to wash his hair. He tried to work the kinks out of his muscles under the spray, though it was impossible to truly alleviate the ache himself.

 

He stepped out, towelling himself off and throwing his bathrobe back on. His hair hung limply around his face without the gel holding it in it's usual place. He ran a towel through it to absorb the moisture and then combed his fingers through it to get it out of his face.

 

When he stepped back into the hall, he was surprised to come face to face with Wayland, the other looking like he'd been waiting out there for a while.

 

"Bathroom," he grunted and brushed past Magnus, slamming the door behind him. Magnus' brain caught up. If Wayland was here did that mean that Alec also-

 

He got his answer when he saw Alec asleep on the couch. Bloodied towels were strewn on the floor. Magnus frowned, looking around the room for signs of battle, but he saw nothing broken. In fact, other than Alec, the only thing in the room that seemed out of place was the bouquet of roses in a vase on top of the piano.

 

Something tickled the back of his mind.

 

Someone insistently handing him something, holding him up even though his body was so very tired...

 

He looked down at his hand. They were small, but they were there. Small pin pricks that looked almost like puncture marks. Either a vampire had very delicately bitten his hand or he had grabbed at some roses without care.

 

He glanced at the towels on the floor, and then took a closer look at Alec's hands. They were scratched and punctured, though they were scabbed over already, mostly healed.

 

So, Alec had saved him again. On the balance of favours he already owed the boy his life an uncomfortable amount of times.

 

He looked at the roses. How ironic that these ones would symbolise life, where the single one in another room symbolised death? He traced a petal with his fingertip. Clary's words from the day before echoed in his mind.

 

_ "What happens if the next person laid up in the Institute hooked up to life monitors isn't you but one of us?" _

 

Magnus noticed the roses stems were still stained with blood.

 

"Magnus?"

 

Magnus turned. Alec was stirring on the couch, looking just as tired as Magnus felt. He stretched, his t-shirt riding up on his stomach a little to reveal a lean, slightly tan body. Magnus smothered a smile onto his own face.

 

"Alexander, I don't remember if I thanked you for the flowers last night. They're lovely," he said, tapping one of the roses before adjusting the vase so it wasn't in direct sunlight.

 

"I... Um... They weren't..." Alec was clearly still asleep. "It wasn't a gift."

 

Magnus gave him an amused look.

 

"You're awake."

 

Wayland walked into the room, his phone in his hand. Magnus guessed whatever flirting he had been doing would have to wait for now. Wayland immediately went to his parabatai, checking over his hands.

 

"Oh good, they look mostly healed. God knows how you managed to tear yourself up so badly. Did you pick them yourself or something?" He asked. Magnus busied himself arranging the flowers better. Really, they looked like they'd just been dumped in the vase. Alec truly should have taken more care with them.

 

"No just... It doesn't matter. Ends justify the means in any case," he said. There was a pause. "Don't remember putting them in a vase though."

 

"I did that. Seemed like a waste of perfectly good roses to let them wilt on the floor," Jace replied. Magnus paused, his hand carefully pinching a stem. He didn't dare look at the parabatai. He sensed there was a conversation beneath his conversation, something he wasn't able to decode.

 

"They were just a way to break the curse," Alec said and Magnus was tired of hearing him say the same thing in different ways.

 

"Well, I'm grateful for them, cure or gift. Thank you Alec," he said, turning around and inspecting his nails. He guessed he'd paint them a new colour today. Maybe a nice celebratory canary yellow? "Now I'm going to kick you both out. You need showers and fresh clothes and while I can offer you one, I have nothing that will fit either of you."

 

"Or that we'd want to wear anyway," Wayland replied and he straightened from where he'd been gripping Alec's wrists. Alec seemed to not want to look at either of them.

 

"C'mon. Let's get back to the Institute. We should inform Maryse and Robert anyway," Wayland said. Alec nodded, getting to his feet and shuffling to the door. Wayland followed but just before he left the room he glanced over his shoulder.

 

"I'm not being nice to you because I like you," Wayland said, and Magnus thought he really needed to re-evaluate his definition of nice. "But Alec obviously cares about you, and I care about him. So let's agree to get along, alright?"

 

Without waiting for a response, Wayland swaggered out of the room. Magnus shook his head.

 

"Shadowhunters," he sighed before going back to his bedroom to blow dry his hair.

 

*

 

"Alec, Jace, you've returned," Maryse swooped down on them the instant that they returned to the Institute. Alec could sense by her tone that she was about to ask them to do something.

 

"Yeah. Thought we'd shower and check in with the others-" Jace started but Maryse held up her hand.

 

"There'll be time for that after you've been briefed. Everyone's already waiting for you," she said. Alec frowned slightly but said nothing as she led them through to the Lightwood family's private office. He shared a look with Jace, who shrugged at him.

 

When they walked into the room, Alec took note of who was there. Isabelle and Clary were sat by the fireplace. Simon, if he had still been there, had clearly been sent home. This had to be Shadowhunter business only.

 

"Right, let's start," Maryse said, shutting the door behind her. Alec met his sister's eye, silently asking her what this was about. The look that Isabelle returned to him was vaguely annoyed.

 

"We've heard from the vampires. They're saying the werewolves have violated the Accords," Maryse said, handing Alec a file. He took it reflexively. Without even looking at Clary he could tell she was already bristling.

 

"Luke would never-"

 

"Clary," Jace said warningly. Alec decided to let them fight it amongst themselves. He began to scan the file. The vampires were being paranoid, there was no real evidence that the werewolves were harming Mundanes, just a bunch of rumour and hearsay.

 

"Other than proving that vampires are paranoid, I can't see anything in this file that would lead me to believe that Lucian Greymark's pack is doing  _ anything _ that could be considered in breach of the Accords," he said, handing his mother back the file. She stared at it, not moving to take it back.

 

"So? Investigate it," she said. "I doubt the vampires would completely fabricate the whole thing."

 

"Mother, we're meant to be helping Magnus-" Alec said and a muscle in Maryse's jaw twitched.

 

"You've been spending more than enough time helping him recently. Is he in immediate danger?" Maryse asked pointedly. "Is he currently in peril that only a Shadowhunter can protect him from?"

 

Alec frowned. He thought that this particular battle was finished. His mother certainly had put her signature on the mission papers.

 

"I don't know. I would have to check with him," he lied. As far as he knew, Magnus was safe for the time being. He certainly hadn't received any messages to the contrary.

 

"Then do so. And after you've ascertained he's perfectly safe for the time being, get back to your  _ real _ job of protecting Mundanes," she said. Alec wasn't sure he'd heard her sound so disdainful towards him before.

 

His stomach sank. This was just her attitude towards _helping_ _a Downworlder_. Alec wondered what her attitude would be like towards him if he ever admitted to her that he was gay. He took the file back, unable to continue fighting against her.

 

He looked at the others, saw that they were as frustrated looking as he was, but they didn't say anything. He met Jace's eyes, but his parabatai's expression was almost unreadable. He didn't know what the other was thinking.

 

He suddenly felt a thrill of fear.

 

Did they all suspect that he was gay? Had his association with Magnus led them to think...?

 

"Isabelle, come with me to check on Magnus. Clary, you're to track down Lucian and question him. Jace, take Simon and question the vampires. For whatever reason, Raphael really seems to like him and that'll mean it's easier to get to Camille," he ordered. There was a moment's pause before Clary got to her feet, cellphone already raised to her ear as she left the room.

 

"Do I have to take Simon?" Jace asked. Alec gave him a long look.

 

"If I could send Simon alone, I would. They're not going to trust you at all," Alec replied. As much as he didn't really like the Mundane, he could appreciate that he was useful. "Unfortunately, they'll probably suck his soul out through his neck. And then Clary would be  _ sad _ . So think about it as preserving your own interests."

 

He wasn't sure where the sass came from, but he earned a shocked laugh from Isabelle for his efforts. Maryse rolled her eyes.

 

"Your mother's right. You've been hanging out far too much with Magnus," Jace said, though he was smirking. Alec watched him go.

 

Isabelle finally got to her feet, plucking the file from her brother's hand to look through it.

 

"Let's go, brother mine," she said, patting his butt with the folder. Alec looked at his mother helplessly but his mother did nothing except gesture to the door. He followed wordlessly.

 

*

 

"I think I broke my bed and my whole body aches," Magnus announced. Isabelle looked up at him from studying the curse book with a knowing smile.

 

"Sounds like you had a fun time," she replied. Beside her, Alec shifted uncomfortably, folding his arms across his chest. Magnus smirked.

 

"While I cannot claim to have never damaged my furniture during my nighttime activities, I assure you that this time it was not the case," he said, trying to massage down his spine. Isabelle laughed.

 

"Do you need a massage?" She asked. Magnus paused.

 

"That would be wonderful," he said. Isabelle passed the book to her brother, walking around Magnus before laying her hands on his shoulders. She really did have talented hands, her fingers digging into the tension between his shoulder blades and slowly easing the taut muscle.

 

"Aaah," Magnus sighed, letting his head fall forward. Isabelle chuckled, her hands moving further down his back, following the knots down his spine.

 

"We've not got another curse in here, so I guess we'll just wait," Alec said. Magnus tilted his head up, catching the moment when Alec looked up from the book and saw them. He saw the way Alec's eyes narrowed, the way he shut the book with a little more force than was technically required.

 

"Isabelle, we have to go. If Magnus is fine, then we have other duties," Alec said, his tone sounding clipped. Magnus felt Isabelle's hands slide off his back and resisted the urge to complain.

 

"Let me know if you need me to come back later to help with... Anything," Isabelle said, and Magnus thought it was almost a purr. He thought he understood her game, trying to make Alec jealous, though he wasn't sure it was a good plan. As far as he was aware, even if Alec did like him, he was so far in the closet that this was a losing game.

 

"I'm sure that if I need any help relaxing, your dear brother can drop by," Magnus replied. Isabelle shrugged.

 

"Are you two done? We have to meet with Jace," Alec said. Magnus rolled his shoulders. They were considerably looser.

 

"We're done," he announced. Alec nodded and left the room without a backward glance. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

 

"You'd almost believe he didn't like you," she said, giving Magnus a frustrated look. "You know, if the next curse struck you with crippling stupidity."

 

Magnus smiled at her, watching her hips sway as she walked out of the room.

 

*

 

"I don't know what to tell you, Clary. We haven't been hunting or biting Mundanes," Luke said, shrugging slightly where he stood. Clary ran a frustrated hand through her hair, sending the red curls into disarray.

 

"What about if you didn't know about it?" She asked. She knew that unless she did this properly, played devil's advocate, that Maryse Lightwood would just send another Shadowhunter back here. One with considerably less manners no doubt.

 

"I trust everyone in my pack, Clary. If anyone is attacking Mundanes, it's not us," he promised. Clary nodded and leaned back in her chair. Luke pushed a box of takeout towards her. It was nearly lunch anyhow, and she should probably eat before she went back to the Institute.

 

"You look tired. Everything alright at the Institute?" Luke asked. Clary felt a surge of fondness for Luke. Even though he must obviously feel worried about being investigated, he still had time to ask her how she was.

 

"It's this... Magnus thing," she said. Luke raised his eyebrows.

 

"Magnus? I thought you had a thing for Jace," Luke said, and a fatherly smile was lurking around his lips. Clary resisted the urge to hide her face in her hands and instead picked up the wooden chopsticks, breaking them apart with a satisfying snap.

 

"No, he's been cursed," she said. Luke took a seat opposite her.

 

"I had heard rumours," he replied. Clary shovelled some noodles into her mouth.

 

"What is the Downworld saying?" She asked, after she'd finished chewing. Luke was folding the paper chopstick sheath into a holder as he spoke.

 

"Equally divided between those who think Magnus had it coming and those who want to be seen supporting him," Luke replied with a shrug. "Magnus is well liked, but not so well liked that people can't see his flaws. And Downworlders can have long memories for grudges too."

 

He finished folding it, pushing it towards her. Clary moved it into the correct place with her finger, staring at it for a moment.

 

"What flaws?" She asked. Magnus had been sassy, sure, but he had always seemed kind. It seemed hard to think that someone would actively dislike him. Find him annoying, sure, but to go out of their way to want to curse him...?

 

"Vain, shallow, materialistic, selfish-"

 

"But that's not true at all!" Clary protested. Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, not entirely. So what, he cares about his appearance-"

 

"And overcharges for nearly every consultation he does, which he uses to buy expensive antique furniture for an apartment that he redecorates almost three times a year," Luke reminded her. Clary's shoulders sagged.

 

"He's one of the most powerful Warlocks in America. He deserves to be paid well," she mumbled, though she couldn't defend the other things particularly well. It was true that Magnus had a taste for fine things.

 

"Yes, and that brings along enemies in itself," Luke replied. "Trust me, the Downworld is not after Magnus' blood, but some find it amusing that he's found himself at the wrong end of a particularly nasty curse."

 

"Doesn't he have any friends?" Clary asked. Luke shrugged.   
  


"Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell might be considered as such. They're both warlocks. He has political connections all over the place, though I'm not sure if those class as friendships. You don't get to Magnus' age without a few people owing you some pretty hefty favours," Luke mused. Clary put her chopsticks down. She suddenly didn't feel so hungry.

 

"Do you know the details of the curse?" She asked. Luke leaned back in his chair, his eyes watching her carefully.

 

"No one does. The warlock that cursed him and Magnus himself haven't spread the information around. Only the people who were there the night it happened even knew he’d been cursed, and not the details," he said with a shrug. Clary bit her lip. She'd promised she wouldn't tell anyone...

 

"It's Beauty and the Beast," she said finally. Luke's face was blank for a moment before he raised a hand to hide a smile.

 

"I'm sure Magnus was spitting glitter to be considered the Beast in the story," he said. Clary couldn't share in the humour, no matter how much she wanted to.

 

"If he doesn't find his One True Love in a year he'll die," she said. Luke's face sobered. "But he's not even trying. He's just... Given up."

 

"Well, that's his choice," Luke said. Clary hadn't expected him to say that. She stared at him in horror.

 

"You mean you're on his side?" She asked. Luke looked slightly exasperated.

 

"You've known Magnus a few months at best. I've known Magnus since I was five years old and he came to our house to create some protective wards. My father had known Magnus since he was thirteen. His father had known-"

 

"Alright, alright I get it. Magnus has been alive a long time and has the right to make his own decisions," Clary said, standing up and starting to pace.

 

"Magnus is notoriously secretive about his past. He doesn't share it. But you can bet your bottom dollar that he's been burnt by love on more than one occasion. Perhaps he just needs time to get used to the idea that he's going to have to go through it all again?" Luke suggested. Clary put her hands in her pocket, her fingers brushing against her stele.

 

"But I'll tell you something for free," Luke said, standing up and putting her hands on her shoulders. "If you want to help Magnus help himself, you should talk to the Seelies. If there's anyway to break a fairy tale curse, I'm willing to bet they know."

 

Clary smiled at him. "Thanks Luke. For everything. I'll report back to the Clave that the vampires were wrong about the pack."

 

Luke drew her into a brief hug. "Not that they'll believe it, but thank you."

 

*

 

Magnus hadn't taken a cat nap in years, but around midday he was feeling exhausted enough to give one a try. He laid out on the couch, starting to doze. Only once he finally got towards true sleep, he just couldn't get comfortable. He shifted a few times, but then he was awake again.

 

With a sigh he got up, rubbing blearily at his eyes.

 

*

 

"Dinner's here!" Raphael called as Simon walked in, his grin predatory. Simon shivered. He did not want the other to be anywhere near him at the present moment, but he had to find out where the accusations against Luke had come from.

 

"Is Camille here?" He asked, aware that his voice was somewhat nervous sounding. Behind him he heard Jace shift. He knew that the other had a hand on his blade almost constantly, but he wasn't sure if it would help him get the information he needed out of the vampires.

 

"It's Daytime. She's asleep. Like I would be if you hadn't triggered every alarm in the hotel," Raphael replied. Truth be told, he did look rather sleepy. Raphael slinked over to a couch and sprawled on it, covering his eyes.

 

"You're the one who asked for the Clave's help," Jace said. Simon wished he'd remained silent because Raphael's teeth bared, even if he did nothing else. They looked really pointy.

 

"I have to protect my people. And if there's someone out there making new werewolves, I want to put a stop to it. I won't have the packs growing stronger, ignored by the Clave, while we vampires have to skulk in the shadows, powerless to stop them," he said. Simon thought that sounded more like Camille's reasoning than Raphael's. In fact, Raphael sounded completely bored throughout the entire speech.

 

"So... Where's your evidence that there are werewolves attacking Mundanes?" Simon asked. "Because really, you guys aren't exactly hunky dory on the whole 'attacking a Mundane' business. I mean, I'm walking proof of that one."

 

Raphael finally removed his arm from his eyes. His mouth had a salacious grin on it that made Simon's stomach squirm. He couldn't move for a moment. He recognised the sensation. It was almost the same as with Camille. Almost, but not quite. Camille's call had felt like a compulsion, he couldn't have broken free of her iron grip even if he'd tried. Raphael's almost asked for permission, if a compulsion could do such a thing.

 

"If you remember, I protected you from our own that time. I am not one to mess with the Accords," Raphael said, standing and walking forward. Simon found himself taking a few steps forward as well but then Jace's hand was on his shoulder. For a moment Simon wanted to shake him off, but then he felt Raphael's power over him weaken.

 

"You're a regular Saint," Jace said. Simon's skin felt over sensitised and Jace's hand was hot on his shoulder. He shook his head to try to clear his thoughts.

 

"Evidence Raphael. What's your evidence?" Simon pressed. Raphael turned away and Simon felt his shoulders fall. His heart was racing and it was only half in fear.

 

"Mutilated corpse was dumped in our parking lot yesterday, probably just after dark. Certainly looks like an animal took a few bites out of it," Raphael said. "It's in the back if you guys want to take a look?"

 

Jace was already moving. Simon was left with two prospects. Stay with Raphael and be possibly dinner or follow Jace and see a very dead body. He wondered which would be the lesser evil.

 

"I'm not going to bite you. Shadowhunter, go sort out the corpse. Mundane, just sit down so you don't look like you're cluttering up the place," Raphael said. Simon promptly sat down. Jace nodded to him and patted him on the shoulder. Their mutual dislike of each other was temporarily abated in order to get the job done safely it seemed.

 

"He even moves the slightest bit in a bad way, and you get out of here and phone Alec, okay?" Jace said. Simon nodded even as Raphael scoffed.

 

"Like Magnus' little pet Shadowhunter would come running here to save a Mundane anyway," Raphael replied. Jace shot him a sharp look but left the room without a reply.

 

Simon sat there silently, trying to look anywhere but at Raphael. He kept his hands trapped under his thighs against the couch. Raphael lurked by the fireplace, his entire body a silhouette.

 

"I hear you've all been helping Magnus Bane. Quite something to get the Shadowhunters to help a Downworlder," Raphael said. "Makes people nervous."

 

Simon didn't know what to say. He didn't really understand the politics of the Shadow world. He barely understood the difference between a Shadowhunter and a Warlock and an Ifrit and all the weird distinctions that they others seemed to have made on their own little world.

 

"I think it's Clary and Alec mostly," Simon replied. "They're closest to him." He watched as Raphael reached up to rest a hand on the top of the mantelpiece.

 

"Fray, that makes sense. The Lightwood heir? Less so. I'd have thought his sister was more of a Magnus fan," Raphael replied. Simon tapped his feet on the ground nervously.

 

"I think it's more that Magnus is an Alec Lightwood fan," he said. He wondered if Raphael was managing to spell him to revealing his thoughts. He hadn't meant to say anything about Alec at all.

 

"Surprising no one. Magnus has a thing about falling for things that will hurt him in the end," Raphael said, taking the poker and stirring up the fire. Simon watched the embers fly out onto the grate.

 

"Why are people nervous about Alec helping Magnus though? Surely it's a good thing? It shows that the Clave is finally taking Downworlders as seriously as they take Mundanes and other Shadowhunters?" Simon asked. Raphael set the poker down and finally turned to face Simon. The orange glow of the fire flickered across his features.

 

"Or it shows that Shadowhunters are once again going to start meddling in our affairs unasked for and with impunity," Raphael replied. "We have our own ways to deal with things like this. Now that Shadowhunters are involved however, everything has got to be above board... Well as much as anything the Clave does is above board."

 

"You mean like a Downworlder kangaroo court?" Simon asked. He couldn't even imagine what they would be like.

 

"In your Mundane world, you get a trial by your peers, do you not? It's the same principle only slightly less official. Downworlders should judge Downworlders. Shadowhunters should judge Shadowhunters. Mundanes should judge Mundanes," Raphael said. Simon shook his head.

 

"That's just separatist," he said. "Nothing will ever change that way."

 

"It's better than the alternative," Raphael replied. "No one wants to see the old days back again..."

 

Simon was about to ask what he meant when Jace returned.

 

"Well, it was either a werewolf or there's an escaped bear from Central Park Zoo," he announced. Simon swallowed and got to his feet. Raphael nodded.

 

"I'd have not reported something over nothing. If it's not Luke's pack, then you've got a rogue to deal with. Something tells me that if you're trying to sort out that Magnus Bane situation, you're going to want to get this dealt with as quickly as possible. I hope for your sake that it's one of Luke's and he hands him over so it can just be done with," Raphael said. Jace nodded and walked towards the door, but Simon lingered, looking at the other.

 

"If Downworlders should deal with Downworlder matters, why did you contact the Clave?" He asked. Raphael's lips turned up into a smirk.

 

"Because of you," he said, reaching out and ruffling Simon's hair. Simon froze where he was stood.

 

"Wh-what?" He asked, his voice sounding high-pitched to his own ears.

 

"We have to tow the line for a while. Do things by the book so that the Shadowhunters leave us alone after Camille's little stunt with you. For the time being, we're going to be playing it safe with the Clave," Raphael said, withdrawing his hand. Simon took a step backwards, almost stumbling over his feet, before turning to scurry out of the door Jace was holding open for him.

 

"You know, Raphael's quite handsome, if you're into that kind of thing. I can always leave you here and pick you up later-" Jace offered. Simon gave him a withering look.

 

"You'll shut up if you know what's good for you. And don't you dare tell Izzy!" He said. Jace's grin grew wide.

 

"Sure," he promised.

 

*

 

"You should have seen it, Iz. Looked like he was going to get down on the ground and ask for belly rubs," Jace was saying through chuckles less than twenty minutes later. Simon was glowering at him from across the room, his cheeks red.

 

Alec, meanwhile, could understand why Simon would have wanted to keep that a secret. He wasn't mad at Jace for making it into a joke, but the longer the story went on, the more uncomfortable he got himself. Jace knew as well as anyone that it didn't matter if you were gay or straight, that the vampires could ensnare you easily. To make a joke out of it. Was it funny because it implied Simon was gay? Was it funny because it was with a Downworlder? Alec didn’t know but he found he didn’t want to.

 

"Enough," Alec said, taking a step forward and leaning on a desk. Clary and Isabelle were stood by the fireplace and they jumped at the abruptness of his voice. Jace cast him an amused glance but did as he was asked.

 

"Luke says it's not one of his. Jace has confirmed with the vampires that it is a werewolf. Anything else to report?" he asked. Isabelle raised her hand.

 

"Magnus' shoulders were really tense this morning. Someone should go and give him a massage this afternoon," she suggested brightly. Every pair of eyes in the room seemed to land on Alec at that. He bristled.

 

"We have a mission that is not Magnus Bane right now. Focus," Alec said. Isabelle just carried on smiling at him.

 

"Raphael said the Downworlders are suspicious of our involvement with Magnus," Simon said finally, as though not sure if he were involved in this conversation or not. Alec turned to him, his eyebrow raised.

 

"What do you mean?" He asked. Simon's shoulders hunched.

 

"I think he was trying to tell us to back off, in his own way. That we shouldn't get involved in Downworlder business. Or at least... Not so openly," he said. Alec felt frustration rise in him. This wasn't supposed to be about Magnus. This was about a dead Mundane!

 

"That has nothing to do with the current case-"

 

"Luke says the Downworld is abuzz with it too. Half of them think Magnus deserves what he's got, half of them want to help him. He said we should go talk to the fairies. He thinks they know something," Clary interrupted him. Isabelle's eyes lit up.

 

"I can ask Meliorn-"

 

"No," Alec interrupted her, barely aware how loud his voice was until Isabelle actually took a physical step backward.

 

"Look, I understand wanting to help Magnus, but until he calls on us, that is not our job. Please focus," Alec said. He was surprised to see such stubborn looks on the other's faces. Everyone except Jace seemed to be sulking. Jace however, walked forward, clapping Jace on the shoulder.

 

"We're gonna have to ask round about a rogue werewolf tonight. You want me to draw up a list of possible informants?" He asked. Alec nodded gratefully.

 

"The rest of you, get ready for hunting tonight. We're going to find this werewolf before it can hurt anyone else," Alec said firmly.

 

Only once everyone else was out of the room did he let the burden of leadership fall from his shoulders and let all the new information about Magnus sink in. Fairies and Downworlder courts, politics and grudges, Shadowhunters and warlocks and-

 

He sagged against the desk, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

 

He thought it would have been just a case of helping Magnus out, but it had been made into such a big deal by everyone... Everything suddenly had hidden meanings and politics and Alec...

 

Alec didn't want to deal with any of it.

 

*

 

Magnus figured that going out would make him feel better. It had been far too long since he'd hit a club up, so he'd put on his gladrags and his glitter, he'd put up his hair, and he'd portaled into the hottest club in Brooklyn on a Thursday night.

 

He greeted people, aware of the strange looks he was getting. He expected nothing less. He had no doubt that the gossip grapevine had done its work. Though the details might be hazy, or exaggerated, he was almost certain that everyone knew he was under a curse by now.

 

He got himself a drink, absently setting it on fire as he surveyed the club. Not much promise tonight. Mostly people he didn't like so much, or who didn't like him.

 

Finally his eyes fixed on two fairies sat near the back. He recognised them from his Alice dream. He downed his drink and walked over. He wasn't stupid enough to ignore a prompt from his subconscious. They had been in his dream for a reason. Perhaps one of them was his true love? Who knew?

 

"Well, hello there, darlings. Are you having a good night?" He greeted them. Sure enough, they all exchanged kisses. The fairies smiled at him warmly, though there was something cold in their eyes that Magnus immediately didn't like the look of.

 

"Oh you know us, Magnus. Always having a good time when you're here," one replied. He had no recollection of their names what so ever, and even telling them apart was somewhat difficult. Both blond haired, both green eyed, even their tattoos were identical.

 

"Yeah, quite," Magnus replied absently. The fairies looked at each other.

 

"You seem tired," one said. The other one reached forward, the tips of its fingers brushing against Magnus' jaw. "Even through all that make-up."

 

"Well, I had trouble sleeping last night. You know how it is," he said. The fairies looked at each other and Magnus thought that they might be able to communicate with each other's minds.

 

"Well, hopefully you'll be able to solve that matter quickly," one fairy said. Magnus nodded, feeling slightly faint from the loud noise and the alcohol and his own exhaustion. He was about to excuse himself when he found an arm sliding through his arm.

 

He turned, surprised to find Clary Fairchild standing beside him, looking up at him with a smile.

 

"Shadowhunter, what are you doing here?" One of the fairies asked, eyes narrowed. Clary just smiled peacefully.

 

"I wanted to know why you were talking to Magnus?" Clary asked. Magnus frowned down at her. What was with the child?

 

"Biscuit, I'm almost certain you're aware why people talk to each other at clubs," he said, trying to disentangle her from his arm. Clary held on stubbornly though.

 

"I was trying to be subtle," she said, her eyes fixed on the Seelies. "What do you know about Magnus' curse?" She asked point-blank. Magnus stopped trying to untangle her, his eyes going wide as he took in the way the faerie twins had gone still. They remained stoically silent.

 

"I think their lack of answer is probably all the answer you need," Clary said. Magnus felt his hands shaking and he clenched them into fists. He wouldn't lose it here. He couldn't. 

 

"We did not know that she would use our magic that way!" One of the Seelies protested. "We only thought that she would use it for herself, not combine it with warlock magic!"

 

"But she did, didn't she?" Magnus spat. No wonder the curse had been so stubborn against his efforts to remove it. It was the bastard child of Seelie and Warlock magic.

 

"Yes, she did," the fairy conceded, looking at least a little saddened by it. "We got a good price for it. We thought she was one of those kinds of warlocks who collects interesting magical things. We had no idea-"

 

Magnus raised his hands. He'd heard enough. Blue fire coalesced in his palms. Clary took an alarmed step backwards as Magnus struck out. It hit one of the fairies across the chest, sending him sprawling backwards across the dance floor and knocking a few revellers off their feet. He turned to the other one, ready to throw him around a bit and take out his frustration.

 

"Magnus! No!"

 

Magnus glanced out of the corner of his eye. Alec was stood there, his bow notched and ready to fire, but he was already lowering it. Magnus raised his hands again ready to blast the fairies one more time but an arrow whistled past him, dangerously close to his ear, embedding itself in the wall with a thud.

 

He turned to look at Alec incredulously.

 

"You nearly hit me!" He protested. Alec lowered the bow.

 

"No I didn't. Magnus let them go," he said. The fairy closest to them looked at Alec sharply, then back to Magnus.

 

"You shouldn't get involved, Shadowhunter," the fairy said. Alec looked taken aback.

 

"I just potentially saved your life, or at least saved you from getting beaten up!" Alec protested. The fairy scowled.

 

"Be that as it may. These are Downworlder affairs. If we want the Nephilim involved we'd ask for them," the fairy said. Magnus watched it all with disinterest. The fairy he had thrown across the dance floor earlier was limping towards them.

 

"As it stands, Magnus, in return for... Leaving us with some dignity. We will tell you how to stop this current part of the curse before it becomes too uncomfortable for you," the fairies said. "But we ask you to spare us from Shadowhunter interrogation."

 

Magnus sighed. He could. have no doubt found out a lot more information from them had he been allowed to rough them up a little. As it stood, he would take what he could get.

 

"Go on," he said. The fairies nodded.

 

"There's a pea under your bed. Get one of your Shadowhunters to remove it," one suggested. Magnus sighed and waved them away. They limped off, with whatever information they held. Magnus whipped around to face Alec.

 

"I don't know what you think you're doing but as of right now, you're not to interfere with my life, do you understand?" He asked, though he didn’t wait for a response. He strode out of the club, purposefully taking a side alley.

 

He knew Alec too well. He knew Clary too well. He knew they were going to follow him and he’d rather not have this out in the middle of a crowd. Sure enough there were the sounds of footfalls. One pair of heeled boots, the other the typical soldier ones.

 

“Magnus!”

 

He stopped walking, waiting for them to catch up. He didn’t face them though.

 

“Magnus, I’m sorry. I never meant to make it feel like I was meddling-” Clary began but Magnus held up a ringed hand to stop her from speaking.

 

“My reputation is important. Without the trust of my people, I can’t operate. I have done my best to play both sides up until this point, but I have to ask - why would you care what happens to one warlock when there are hundreds every day who are treated like worse than dirt by your kind?” He asked.

 

“Magnus that’s not-” Clary began but he turned around, waving a hand at her. Her mouth immediately closed, his magic keeping her jaw shut.

 

“I wasn’t talking to you, Clary. You’re hardly the typical Shadowhunter. No, I was talking to pretty boy here,” Magnus said, gesturing to Alec. Alec met his eyes straight on, something Magnus hadn’t been sure he could do, and then raised his chin.

 

“You’re my friend,” Alec said, his voice even, no trace of the shyness from before. Magnus stared into his eyes, looking for a trace of deceit.

 

“Your friendship cost me information tonight,” Magnus replied. Alec didn’t back down.

 

“Your actions could have got you in as much trouble as the Warlock we’re hunting for you,” he retorted. Magnus clicked his fingers and Clary’s mouth unsealed.

 

“They were my actions to take,” Magnus reminded them. “I’m not your lapdog, your child or your charge. I am capable of making my own decisions.”

 

“Is that what this is about?” Clary asked, sounding frustrated. “Taking back some semblance of control? You’re pissed at Alec and me for what? Stopping you from hurting some fairies? Magnus, you’re not thinking straight!”

 

“That I can agree. It’s rather hard to think straight when your life is on the line,” Magnus snapped back. Alec stalked forward, his jaw clenched. Magnus felt his pulse quicken. Was Alec going to get in his face about this? Were things about to get physical? Magnus wondered if Alec even had it in him to be that close to him for longer than a few moments.

 

Whatever Alec had been about to do was cut short by screams coming from the club.

 

“What-?” He started but Alec had already turned away.

 

“We were tracking a rogue werewolf,” he said quickly, drawing an arrow from his quiver. “Jace and the others must have found it.”

 

He began to run back down the alley but moments later there was the sound of a howl, quickly cut short with a horrific whimper. Alec’s feet slowed to a halt, his bow dropping to his side.

 

Magnus began to laugh humorlessly, hopelessly.

 

“That’s how much a Downworlder life means to your parabatai. Wake up to the reality of this situation, Alec, before this becomes more than just a curse, but a political battle,” Magnus said to Alec’s still back. Alec’s shoulders rose.

 

“You want to die, is that it Magnus? What is wrong with you?” Alec growled, turning around, eyes flashing with anger. “Why is my help so abhorrent to you?”

 

“Alec, calm dow-” Clary tried to put a hand on his shoulder but Alec hit it away. It must have been harder than intended because Clary’s wrist bent at an awkward angle, causing her to cry out in pain and clutch it close to her chest. Alec didn’t even look at her, his eyes intent on Magnus.

 

“What did you negotiate with the Clave, Alec? In order to help me, you must have suggested something?” He countered. Alec’s eyes slid away and Magnus felt victorious. Of course. No Lightwood would help a Downworlder selflessly.

 

“Leverage over you. The more often we save your life, the less you can charge for your services,” he said. Magnus shook his head. He had hoped for more imagination at least.

 

“And we’re now on at least three life debts, are we not? Oh, how smart of you Alexander,” he said. Alec growled.

 

“It wasn’t like that-”

 

“You say friendship, yet your plan is to make me your family’s slave,” Magnus pointed out. “Where is the friendship in that?”

 

“Magnus! Alec! Stop it!”

 

_ That _ was Clary. She walked between them, putting her hands up, her lower lip trembling.

 

“This isn’t helping anyone and you’re both angry. I don’t think either of you are thinking straight. Let’s just… Leave. Get that pea out from under your mattress and give each other some time to cool off,” she suggested. Alec begrudgingly folded his arms.

 

Magnus sucked his teeth but put his hands in his pockets, looking away from both of them.

 

“Right. Magnus, lead the way,” she said. Magnus began to walk, dragging his feet like a sulking teenager. He was  _ right _ damnit, and he knew he was.

 

They walked to his apartment in silence. He let them in. Chairman Meow brushed against his feet. He reached down to pick the little cat up, holding it against his chest as Clary went to the bedroom to go and remove the pea.

 

Magnus went to the kitchen, putting Chairman Meow on the floor. He looked in his fridge, nothing to eat. His eyes slid across the counters until he came across the fruit bowl. Oh well, anything was better than nothing.

 

“Want one?” He asked, picking up an apple. He didn’t look at Alec. He couldn’t. He was still seething with anger.

 

“I’m… okay,” Alec said. Magnus nodded and picked up the apple, throwing it between his hands.

 

“Got it!” Clary called from the bedroom. “Gonna check the book to make sure we completed it!” Magnus turned to Alec.

 

“Do you understand why I don’t want you involved?” He asked, trying to keep his voice even. “Alec, even if we take all the Downworlder politics out of this, there is still the other issue. You, Clary, all of you, you might get hurt.”

 

Alec was hugging himself, as though to protect himself against having to listen to Magnus’ words.

 

“Alec, answer me,” Magnus begged. Alec swallowed and opened his mouth but nothing came out. Magnus sighed frustratedly and took a bite of the apple.

 

“Alec! Next story’s here! Snow White!” Clary shouted from the next room. Magnus stared down at the apple he’d just bitten into, then back up at Alec’s surprised face, before he slumped onto the ground.

 

“Magnus! Oh you’ve got to be kidding me?!” He saw Clary’s boots in front of his face before sleep pulled him away,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know which direction you'd like Simon to go in. Originally I didn't have Simon planned in so much but he can either be paired with Izzy or with Raphael at this point. Let me know which you prefer in the comments!
> 
> Next Chapter:
> 
> "What are you doing?" Isabelle asked the dwarf who had a bejeweled lamp in one hand and a portrait in the other. The dwarf looked at her as though she were stupid.
> 
> "Repossessing his things. Now the wards are down we can finally get in. Did you know how many payments this guy forgot? And this whole place is on credit, don't let him lie to you," the dwarf said, shifting things in his arms.
> 
> "You're bailiffs?" Simon realized, as the other six started throwing more things out of the window into the skip below. "Oh my god, he's going to be so pissed when he wakes up."


	7. The Fairest in All of Brooklyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What are you doing?" Isabelle asked the dwarf who had a bejeweled lamp in one hand and a portrait in the other. She and Simon had arrived barely seconds before to find Clary and Jace darting around the room, trying to put things back in place after the dwarves had moved it. The dwarf looked at her as though she were stupid.
> 
> "Repossessin' his things. Now the wards are down we can finally get in. Did ya know how many payments this guy forgot? And this whole place is on credit, don't let him lie to ya," the dwarf said, shifting things in his arms. Simon wasn't that surprised by the revelation.
> 
> "You're bailiffs?" Simon asked, as the other six started throwing more things out of the window into the skip below. "Oh my god, he's going to be so pissed when he wakes up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new episode slayed me. Quite seriously.

“Well, at least he can sleep,” Jace said, poking Magnus’ cheek. The warlock didn’t even stir. Beside the bed, Alec hadn’t moved at all since they’d all arrived. Clary said he’d carried Magnus to the bedroom, pulled up the chair and sat there, just like that, his head in his hands.

Jace put his hand on his parabatai’s shoulder. Alec put his hand over it briefly, before sinking back into his previous posture. Clary walked in. She had the curse book in her hand.

“What happened?” Jace asked. Clary looked at Alec for a moment before looking back at Jace.

“We had a fight,” Clary said and Jace could hear from her voice that she was tempering the truth. Her eyes were pinned on Alec.

“No. Magnus and I had a fight,” Alec said softly. “If Clary hadn’t been there… I think I’d have actually hit him.”

Jace raised an eyebrow at that. Alec wasn’t the kind to resort to physical violence very often, so for it to get that bad. He glanced at Clary but she was looking resolutely away from both of them.

“What was it about?” Jace prompted. He felt like he was talking to a three year old about hitting his sister or something. Alec stood up suddenly and started pacing. The sudden change from being stock still to being active told Jace more about his parabatai’s mental state than anything else.

“Stupid Downworlder politics and him being dumb about letting us help him and then you killed that werewolf-” Alec was clearly on a tirade so Jace tuned him out until he finished gesturing. Alec sometimes just needed to vent. He kept everything so tight to his chest that Jace wondered, sometimes, if Alec had a box in his heart where he locked away his emotions. It was refreshing to see them pour out.

“Firstly, didn’t kill the werewolf. Izzy captured it and it was hauled to trial,” he said, holding up a finger. “Secondly, whatever Magnus chooses to do is his decision. Whatever you choose to do is yours. But when friends are being stupid, it’s good to have their back, even if they don’t appreciate it.”

Alec stared at him for a long moment before the tension dropped out of his shoulders.

“We’re not friends. Magnus made that clear,” Alec replied and Jace felt like slapping him in that instant. And Magnus for that matter.

“You mean you had a fight and the two of you yelled things at each other and now you’re going to hold him as responsible for his words as you hold yourself for almost hitting him?” Jace asked. Alec looked at him. Jace could see it. For the first time, he realised that he was picking up in a change in Alec before Alec could see it himself.

Usually Alec was the perceptive one. Alec was the one who bent to the needs of their bond, who supported it, who nurtured it. But now Jace could see that Alec was completely and utterly lost. He had no way of navigating his feelings, his thoughts, his actions. He was like a child, stumbling around and trying not to knock too many things over.

And he was like this over  _ Magnus _ .

Jace knew Alec was gay, would have to have been blind not to notice. But he'd never thought too much about the specifics of who Alec was attracted to. Not until now, with Alec clearly fighting with every ounce of his closeted little soul to stop them from finding out.

And what was worse was that Jace was going to let him believe he  _ had _ stopped them from finding out, if only for his parabatai's pride.

“It’ll be alright, Alec,” Jace said, putting aside his own feelings on the matter and doing what he knew was right - reassuring his brother. “When Magnus wakes up, you two will be able to straighten things out.”

Alec’s brows drew together and he looked at Magnus on the bed.

“ _ If _ he wakes up,” he said. Jace looked at Clary, who shook her head silently. He guessed he’d done all he could with Alec’s funk.

“He will. You’ll see.”

*

Alec dragged himself into the Institute on tired feet. He wanted to sleep for a decade. He was exhausted. He saw his mother surveying one of the screens and immediately veered to try and avoid her.

"Alec, where are Fray and Jace? You didn't report in last night," his mother called, cutting him off at the stairs. He heard Isabelle's heels on the balcony rather than saw her. He knew he must have looked exhausted.

"What's wrong?" Isabelle brushed past their mother, her hands going to cup his face. He felt her thumbs brush under his eyes and he guessed he must have dark circles there.

"We have to speak to Meliorn," he said, his voice low and gravelly from lack of sleep. He needed to decent rest, one as good as Magnus' probably, but he couldn't just leave the other in a coma.

"The werewolf didn't mention fairy involvement," his mother interrupted, but Alec saw that Isabelle understood.

"No. But Magnus' case does," she said softly. Maryse looked between them, frustrated.

"I thought I told you both-"

"Mom, Magnus is currently completely unable to defend himself. The curse has knocked him out and the only person who knows how to awaken him are the fairies," Alec said, trying to keep his voice even but knowing that it broke in parts. He felt broken, jagged, not quite right or himself.

"I'll contact him through the fire," Isabelle said, turning on her heel and not even awaiting her mother's protests. Alec knew he'd have to weather them alone, although at least he knew something was being done.

"How far will this go, Alec? Helping someone for altruistic reasons is fine, but you're too involved in this case," Maryse said. "A Shadowhunter and a Warlock cannot be friends. You are polar opposites."

"I don't want to debate politics or philosophy right now. This isn't about Shadowhunters or warlocks. This is just about helping Magnus," he replied. The look on his mother's face made him curse his tongue. It was a calculated look.

"You are too deep," she said. "You've lost objectivity. For whatever reason, Magnus has got to you... Though you wouldn't be the first Shadowhunter I suppose." Alec frowned, not sure what she meant about that but he didn't have time to pry.

"You are off this case. Isabelle, Jace and Clary can see it out perfectly fine without you. You are going to stay here and train until your mind is settled again," Maryse ordered. Alec stared at her blankly.

"In that case, I'm going to bed," he said, brushing past her and heading to his room. His mother said nothing in response. He guessed she could have no objections to that after all.

*

Isabelle was furious. She had arranged her meeting with Meliorn only to discover that Alec, who was supposed to go with her was... Suspended or grounded or something. She'd never heard of that happening before to any other Shadowhunter and she began to wonder how much her mother suspected of Alec's feelings towards Magnus.

Didn't she realise she was already too late? That horse had already bolted.

Although Isabelle wondered when Alec was going to be honest with them about it. Or even better yet, be honest with Magnus.

She didn't inform her mother she was leaving. Alec had woken, briefly, to relay the details of their conversation and Isabelle felt she owed her mother nothing at the present moment.

She unlocked her phone as soon as she was outside the Institute, messaging the group What'sApp with an exasperated emoticon.

_ Meet at Magnus' in 20 mins. Meliorn is going to meet us there _ .

She had barely put it in her pocket again before there was a message back from Jace.

_ Already here. Clary wants you to bring Simon so go pick him up. _

Isabelle thought about letting them know that Alec wasn't with her, but decided against it. She could explain when she arrived after all. She turned towards Brooklyn and began to run.

*

"What are you doing?" Isabelle asked the dwarf who had a bejeweled lamp in one hand and a portrait in the other. She and Simon had arrived barely seconds before to find Clary and Jace darting around the room, trying to put things back in place after the dwarves had moved it. The dwarf looked at her as though she were stupid. 

"Repossessin' his things. Now the wards are down we can finally get in. Did ya know how many payments this guy forgot? And this whole place is on credit, don't let him lie to ya," the dwarf said, shifting things in his arms. Simon wasn't that surprised by the revelation.

"You're bailiffs?" Simon asked, as the other six started throwing more things out of the window into the skip below. "Oh my god, he's going to be so pissed when he wakes up."

Isabelle looked confused but Jace and Clary certainly were active. Clary kept trying to pluck items out of the dwarves hands while Jace was standing steadfastly in front of the door to Magnus' bedroom with his arms crossed.

"Guys, it's just stuff. Magnus can get it back when he wakes up," Simon said, drawing their attention back to him. "Isn't it more important to sort out the curse right now?"

Isabelle had filled him in on the way. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Magnus asleep in a coma and Alec trapped at the Institute due to some weird Shadowhunter/Downworlder potentially homophobic thing his mother had going on. Simon wasn't sure what to do to help Alec particularly, but he did have an idea to help Magnus.

"Where's Alec?" Jace asked, stepping away from the bedroom. A dwarf immediately slid past him. Jace glared at it. "Yeah you greedy little fucker, you just go on right ahead..."

"Grounded," Isabelle said. "Mom's not to pleased with how... things are." Simon thought that she phrased that rather delicately.

"Shame. I was hoping that he could just smooch him and then we'd be all sorted," Jace said with a shrug. Isabelle raised an eyebrow and even Simon had to admit, he was rather surprised that Jace had said it aloud. He had Jace pegged as the oblivious, slightly uncomfortable around homosexuality type.

"You really think they have True Love?" Clary asked. She looked upset for some reason. A dwarf plucked a book out of her hand and she glared at it before sticking out her tongue.

"Unlikely."

Simon turned towards the unfamiliar voice from the door. A man stood there, his features pointed, his skin luxuriously dark. His hair was pulled back from his face to reveal elegantly pointed ears and a flower tattoo along his temple. His clothes draped on his body, as though he were barely there to hold them up. He was ethereal.

And Isabelle strode towards him and kissed him full on the mouth, just like that. Simon looked away, swallowing hard. That was... unexpected.

"Meliorn, thank you for coming," she said and Simon had never seen her smile like that before. He'd never thought that Isabelle could smile like that. Like the whole world existed just for that one person in front of her.

Simon didn't think the other man's smile was quite the same, though it was hard to tell. There was something so otherworldly about him.

"Who?" He asked pointedly. Jace stepped forward.

"Meliorn. Our Seelie contact," he said. Isabelle gave him a sly glance.

"'Our'?" She repeated. "I'm pretty sure he's all mine."

"Now, now, Isabelle. No need to get territorial," Meliorn said, giving her a brief smile. Simon realised some of Isabelle's lipstick half rubbed off onto his mouth. Simon folded his arms.

He and Isabelle had always been a fantasy anyway. Nothing he'd ever seriously thought too much about. Not like he had with Clary... Though that also seemed to be moving out of his reach as well.

"Where's the warlock?" Meliorn asked. Jace nodded his head towards the bedroom. Meliorn walked past him and Simon was sure that the air surrounding him smelled like flower petals.

"Dwarf, leave," he heard Meliorn order. There was the sound of something being dropped.

"Gerroff me, Seelie. You can't order me about! I got a legal right to repossess-" one of the dwarves, probably Grumpy, was yelling.

Meliorn reappeared, holding the dwarf by the collar while it kicked and turned, trying to bite him with sharp little teeth. The Seelie seemed unimpressed.

"Keep them out. Dwarf magic is stubborn and greedy. I'd prefer not to have to deal with it when I'm doing something so delicate," Meliorn said, dropping the dwarf who twisted in the air, surprisingly agile, to land perfectly on his feet. Meliorn slammed the door in its face and Jace and Clary moved immediately into its path to block off the bedroom.

"You heard the man. Not until he's finished," Jace said. The dwarf stared at him for some time, before kicking him in the shins. Jace bent down, rubbing his shin with a grimace of pain.

"Why you little shit-"

"Little is a Heightist term and you've used it twice, Shadowhunter. Not doing much to endear yourself to us," Grumpy replied. Simon covered his mouth to stop his laughter from drawing attention. Jace scowled, but said nothing back.

Around them the dwarves slowly stripped the place of all of Magnus' possessions and Simon began to wonder if Magnus would be more pissed off about being cursed to sleep or losing his most prized belongings.

He didn't plan to be around when Magnus woke up to find out.

*

"There is nothing the magic of the Seelies can do," Meliorn said, walking back into the room. He looked calm, confident, like a spring breeze that had blown into the room. Jace glanced at Isabelle to see that she was getting to her feet, looking worried.

"You can't remove or alter the curse?" She asked. Meliorn shook his head.

"I could, but it would kill him," the Seelie replied, forced to tell the truth when asked such a direct question. "Think of Magnus' life as a rich tapestry. The fairy magic and warlock magic run strongly through it. If I pull at the fairy magic, however, the tapestry warps and tears and begins to fall apart as it has been attached to his life and bound there with warlock magic."

"So you're saying you can do nothing? Even though it was your people's magic that did this?" Clary asked. Jace knew that she was worried, but he wished she wouldn't sound so antagonistic. Meliorn was a Seelie Knight and more than a match for them in power.

Luckily, the Seelie didn't seem to take it as a direct insult.

"The fairy magic is like a glamor. It gives the curse a form to take. It will be the warlock magic which kills him," Meliorn replied. "I am not a warlock. But judging by the fact that Magnus himself could not remove this curse, I would say that it is binding. You will just have to deal with its effects."

"Can you offer us any advice?" Isabelle asked. Meliorn turned to her, before nodding.

"I can," he said, then nothing else. Jace groaned. Seelies and their games.

"What advice?" He prompted. Meliorn looked at him.

"I am unsure what any of this has to do with me. I see no gain for myself in helping Magnus, or helping you. It has always been a case of give and take," he pointed out. Isabelle was the only one still smiling. Jace saw her preparing to work her diplomatic magic on the Seelie and wondered what other, unspoken promises, she was no doubt prepared to make good on.

"I bet a bunch of Magnus' things would be of interest to you. And right now, they're just in a skip outside. I mean, we couldn't possibly keep watch on  _ all  _ his things," Isabelle said. "I heard he had an enchanted mirror that tells you how great you look each morning."

Meliorn's eyebrow rose. "You're going to allow me to have the Pictish Mirror?"

"I'm not going to allow you to have anything. I'm just letting you know it was here, and now it's out there," Isabelle said, pointing out the window. Meliorn began to smile.

"As always, a pleasure doing business, Isabelle," he said, before his expression became serious. "You should call on Ragnor Fell. And you should start looking at alternate ways to wake Snow White other than True Love's Kiss. From what I saw of Magnus from the spell, he has shut himself off from love. He'll not awaken from a kiss."

"Who's Ragnor Fell?" Simon asked. Jace shrugged. He wasn't too sure either, though the name rang a bell.

"Wait, I heard that name before," Clary said suddenly, stepping forward in her excitement. "Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss. They're warlocks. Two of Magnus' friends. Luke mentioned them!"

"Yes, and perhaps they have not yet heard what has befallen their friend. Ragnor is rather... antisocial as of late. And Catarina is always busy with her patients," Meliorn replied. "They will have as much motivation as you for ridding their friend of this curse."

"What about other means of awakening Snow White?" Simon pressed. "Because I've never seen a version where it wasn't True Love's Kiss."

"You need to look for the original tales, the way the fairies told them," Meliorn replied. "We have no time for True Love's Kiss. That's a mortal invention. But we did have a way to wake her up."

"No chance of you telling us outright, huh?" Jace asked, exasperated. Meliorn just smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," the Seelie said. He kissed Isabelle on the cheek, before walking purposefully out of the door.

"You think he'll really go diving in that dumpster for the mirror?" Jace asked, glancing out the window. Isabelle shrugged.

"If he does, he's going to have to fight off seven angry dwarves but that's not my concern. We need to find a way to contact Ragnor and Catarina..." Isabelle trailed off, looking thoughtful.

Jace began to pace. "I guess they might have some information on them at the Institute? We'd have to get Maryse's approval to contact them though, and then pay the stupid fees no doubt because there's no way they'd help the Clave if-"

"Guys?" Simon interrupted him. Jace looked at him to see he was holding up a little black book.

"What's that?" He asked, annoyed that Simon would interrupt him in the middle of his thoughts. Simon grinned.

"Well, it looks like a contact book, but you never know, it might be his secret diary," Simon replied, opening it up. "Oh wow, there's a lot of contacts in here."

"Magnus  _ is  _ a social animal," Isabelle said. Jace took a few steps forward, peeking over Simon's shoulder. There were lists and lists of names and descriptions. Things like:  _ Tall, blond, not very interesting but has the most beautiful butterfly tattoo _ and  _ Client - interesting conversationalist but always wants aphrodisiac potions _ .

"Perfect. You work at contacting them then. I'm going to go update Alec," Jace said, glancing back at the bedroom.

"Someone should probably stay here and guard him. If the dwarves were right about the wards being down..." He suggested. Clary nodded and walked toward the bedroom.

"Sure, I can do that-"

There was the sound of shouting from outside.

"Yeh can't do that! Tha's ours!"

"Git yer thievin' Seelie mitts off our merchandise!"

"Sounds like the dwarves are having trouble," Simon commented, walking over the window to peek out. Jace's mouth formed a thin line.

"Good."

*

Alec stared at the ceiling. Isabelle had informed him of their new information on the curse and though he had express orders not to get involved, part of him couldn't help it.

He  _ wanted _ to be involved.

That was terrifying.

The others were researching every version of Snow White they could, while waiting for Ragnor Fell to call them back. They probably had things under control, but Alec felt helpless. What if he was the only one who could see the answer - like with the Red Shoes? What if he was the only one who could-

What if he was the only one who could wake Magnus?

Alec turned on his bed, pulling his pillow over his head in an attempt to stop the thought from taking root, but it already had.

Meliorn had said that True Love's Kiss wouldn't work, but had anyone even tried it? The image of Jace bending over Magnus' sleeping form and kissing him was ridiculous, but Alec felt something cold in his stomach even so.

He curled even tighter in on himself.

In his mind, the resolve was forming. If he didn't try everything in his power...

It was still half-formed when he rose from his bed. He couldn't just sit there. He had to do  _ something.  _ He shrugged on an old, tattered hoodie and zipped it up.

Getting out of the Institute unseen wasn't too hard. No one was on high alert for him after all. He walked as casually as he could to the door, slipping out and into the night.

The walk to Magnus' passed so quickly, he was already at the Warlock's door before he realised it. He hadn't even been aware of time, or even thinking that much, but now the door was before him it felt like a barrier that once past he would never be able to turn back from.

He reached out, slowly opening the door. He let it swing open, silently stepping inside and closing it behind him. He walked through the lounge. Clary was there, though she had clearly dozed off rather uncomfortably on the only remaining chair in the place.

He wasn't surprised to see most of Magnus' things were gone. Isabelle had informed him about the bailiffs. He guessed Clary was lucky they had left her one plush chair to sleep on.

He didn't wake her, instead walking past her and into the bedroom.

Magnus was asleep on his bed, another thing he guessed the dwarves couldn't take due to Magnus being asleep on it. His sheets were an obnoxious shade of yellow and someone had pulled a blanket up over him. It looked a bit moth bitten. Had the dwarves really stolen the comforter?

He felt almost like he was dreaming as he walked forward. The thoughts that had been half-formed, that he had not given words to, were starting to crystallise in his mind. As they finalised, he realised the real reason he had come.

"Magnus, I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching out to take the Warlock's hand. Magnus didn't stir. Alec swallowed, his heart suddenly racing in his chest. He hadn't come here to apologise, not really. He'd come here to help.

He'd come here to...

Alec leaned over Magnus’ body. He could feel Magnus’ breath on his lips. The other’s eyes were moving beneath their lids, his body having fallen into REM sleep. Alec wondered what Magnus was dreaming about.

He hoped it was pleasant.

He rested his fingertips against Magnus’ jaw. This would be his first kiss and he was going to do it right. But there would be no going back from this. There would be no way of unknowing what Magnus’ lips felt like, or how they tasted. He would not be able to lie to himself anymore about being straight, about it being a ‘phase’. He would have to accept himself.

He would have to also accept that, at least some part of him, wanted Magnus to wake up when he kissed him.

Slowly, he lowered his mouth onto Magnus’ own. The Warlock’s lips were warm and soft. Alec brushed his lips over them, once, twice, lingering over the sensations. His eyes fluttered closed as he savoured the feel of it. His heart pounding in his chest, his breath fast through his nose, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

But then he realised that Magnus was as still as ever.

He sat back, eyes going up to Magnus’ face. The Warlock didn’t move, didn’t stir. He wasn’t smiling at Alec, ready to tease, or looking angry that Alec had stolen a kiss from him.

He was sleeping.

“No,” Alec whispered, clenching his fists tightly, drawing himself away from Magnus like he was a snake ready to strike. “Of course not. Of course  _ I _ wouldn’t be… What was I thinking?”

He got to his feet, backing away from the bed before turning and half-stumbling, half-running out of the door.

*

Magnus groaned and rolled over. He could feel warm sunlight on his face. He opened his eyes. What the hell? Where were his curtains?!

He sat up, looking around the room. It was surprisingly bare. Nearly everything was gone. He dashed out of bed, opening his wardrobe, opening his drawers. Stripped of everything.

No more Vivienne Westwood. No more Yohji Yamamoto. No more Alexander McQueen.

His jewellery box was empty. His shoe rack only had a pair of converses in it that he hardly ever wore. Even his bathroom had been stripped of the gold plated taps.

He had been robbed!

“What’s going on in here?”

Magnus turned to see Ragnor staring at him confusedly, before he rolled his eyes.

“So you’re awake then,” he said gruffly. Magnus stared at him.

“Why are you here?” He asked, then gestured to his room. “And where’s all my stuff?!”

“Some Mundane boy contacted me after everything in your apartment got repossessed. Asked me to help you wake up. I just sent the Fairchild girl home from standing guard over you,” Ragnor said, and he looked vaguely bemused.

“Please tell me you didn’t kiss me,” Magnus said, reaching up to his mouth, horrified. Ragnor rolled his eyes.

“Me? No. I just got here. Fairchild has just gone to get her comrades. From what I remember of what she said though, you’re meant to be asleep,” Ragnor said accusingly. Magnus had no idea why he was awake. If it was True Love’s Kiss, then there had been no one there when he woke up.

“Do you know where my stuff is meant to be?” He asked, standing up. Ragnor sighed and handed over a piece of paper.

“I researched it before I came over. You should probably just pay up-” Ragnor said, but Magnus just read the address and clicked his fingers. His stuff began to appear in puffs of blue smoke. Ragnor coughed and took a step back.

“Or you could just steal it all back from them without paying,” he conceded. Magnus gave him a long look.

“You know as well as I do that this stuff is mine. It’s not my fault I let that  _ one _ house payment slide all those centuries ago. How was I to keep track of all those properties?” Magnus asked. His Vivienne Westwood tartan suit reappeared and he reached out to grab it, breathing in it’s vintage fabric.

“Oh my baby, even when I was asleep, I missed you,” he cooed at it. Ragnor irritably batted at some clothes that kept bumping into him on the way to the wardrobe.

“You should call the shadowhunters and tell them not to waste the trip,” Ragnor said. Magnus looked up. Call the Shadowhunters? He only had one shadowhunter's number in his phone. He had not forgotten his and Alec’s fight before he’d been struck by the curse. He didn’t know what to expect when he saw the other again.

Part of him thought that treating it like a bandaid would be easier, ripping it all off in one go and being brave about it. But the other part of Magnus was considerably more cowardly. He could phone Alec, tell him not to come, or he could let Alec arrive and pretend nothing was wrong, or he could let Alec arrive and tell him the truth of everything.

He took option 4.

He sent Alec a text message.

**_Awake. Don’t need assistance. Apparently my True Love was Ragnor or possibly Chairman Meow. Enjoy your day._ **

*

**_Awake. Don’t need assistance. Apparently my True Love was Ragnor or possibly Chairman Meow. Enjoy your day._ **

Alec stared at the message. He had just put on his jacket to creep out of the Institute and meet Clary, Jace at his side. He was aware his feet had stopped walking.

“What is it?” Jace asked. Alec shook his head, pocketing his phone.

“Magnus is awake. He doesn’t need our assistance anymore,” he said. Jace frowned.

“Who cured him?” He asked. Alec shrugged. It wasn’t in the message and he found he didn’t want to know. Magnus had made a joke out of it, so clearly he didn’t want to share with them. The ‘enjoy your day’ had been as hurtful a dismissal as if he’d just told them both to fuck off.

“Well, he’s awake to fight another curse I guess,” Jace said, but he looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to say more but didn’t know how to find the words. Alec didn’t want to know what he wanted to say.

In fact, Alec realised with growing certainty, he didn’t want to know a lot of things anymore. He wanted to stick his head in the sand and forget about it all. He’d used up every ounce of bravery he’d had the night before, every part of him had fought up until that moment, when he’d finally thrown caution to the wind and done what he thought he had wanted.

He’d been left with nothing except an ache in his chest.

“Wanna punch things this morning then? Seeing as we have free time?” Jace suggested. Alec gave him a shaky smile.

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

*

Magnus opened the book, running a hand over the illustration of Snow White and reading through the story. Like the others, it seemed to tell the stereotypical tale. He let his finger trace down the well-worn page until the end. The Kiss.

He blinked.

There was no ‘happily ever after’, or even mention of a ‘True Love’s Kiss’. Instead the final paragraph, written in illuminated script, was entirely different.

_ And so the Prince kissed Snow White, and yet she did not awaken. For who could love someone, truly, after just one meeting? Yet the potential for love was there. The Prince came to Snow White yearning to be loved, and Snow White’s heart answered his call, strengthened by his willingness to love her. A week later, she awakened, and though her heart was not ready to love the Prince, it was the start of the road towards it. Years later, when they met again, the Prince recognised the Princess he had kissed in the woods, all those years ago and though Snow White’s heart did not know it, she too recognised the Prince. They were married within the year and some say they were the happiest couple in all the land. _

Magnus scoffed. What nonsense. He closed the book with a slam and picked up Chairman Meow.

“Was it you? Were you the one who give me a kiss?” He cooed at the cat, tickling behind it’s ear. The Chairman purred happily and Magnus smiled.

As he left the room though, he took one last linger glance at the rose. Six petals now lay on the bottom of the case. His time was only growing shorter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter:
> 
> _"You should have come to us," Alec's voice was quiet, barely a mumble. Magnus felt sick when he thought of Alec being placed in that situation.  
>  "I'm glad he didn't," Magnus replied, putting his head in his hands. "I'm glad that it was Raphael. There were things in that house... Things that..."  
> "Things that people with souls should never have been forced to see," Raphael finished for him, giving Alec a long look._


	8. The Blue Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You should have come to us," Alec's voice was quiet, barely a mumble. Magnus felt sick when he thought of Alec being placed in that situation.
> 
> "I'm glad he didn't," Magnus replied, putting his head in his hands. "I'm glad that it was Raphael. There were things in that house... Things that..."
> 
> "Things that people with souls should never have been forced to see," Raphael finished for him, giving Alec a long look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning that this chapter has some REALLY bad violence in it. Like some real rated 18 horror movie stuff. For that reason I have upped the rating on this fic from Teen to Explicit. I'm talking torture, psychological, emotional and physical, and some very, very dark themes.
> 
> On the other hsnd: Saphael was the winning pairing when I asked people which they preferred, so Raphael returns in this chapter as it's a very Simon-centric one. Originally I had Izzy planned for this chapter, but to be honest, Raphael works much, much better.
> 
> I won't say happy reading, but I do promise none of the other chapters are anywhere near as gruesome as this one.

 

"I warned you! I told you that this could happen!"

Clary was in full lioness mode. Magnus sat on the couch, watching her as she paced. Opposite him, Raphael was draping a blanket around a trembling Simon. The Mundane looked so pale he was almost translucent.

"It was because I took your advice that this occurred at all!" Magnus retorted, eyes flashing catlike and angry. Jace, who had been watching Clary pace, gave him a sharp look.

"Don't put this on her!" He snapped. Magnus scoffed.

"Oh, I'm sure if you take her side on this she'll put out later-"

"Magnus!" Isabelle said, her voice uncharacteristically stern. Magnus slumped back into the couch, refusing to look at any of them, especially not Alec, who was kneeling beside Simon and trying to get him to drink something.

Ragnor and Catarina were sat on the loveseat, regarding the proceedings with an air of detached concern though Magnus could see Catarina's fingers were itching to start curing Simon.

"What happened?" Alec asked, his voice soft. Magnus wasn't sure who he was addressing, but it was Simon who answered, speaking for the first time since they had escaped that hell house.

"I came to check on Magnus... You know, we hadn't heard from him..."

*

"Unexpected," Magnus said as he answered the door. Simon shifted his weight awkwardly on his feet. Since Magnus had awoken from the Snow White curse, things had been strained between him and the Shadowhunters.

Alec was still officially kept on separate missions. Clary said he seemed even more distant than ever, brooding and moody. Simon couldn't imagine that it was for any other reason than his fight with Magnus. Although Simon also couldn’t imagine Alec being any  _ more _ silent and brooding.

Things were compounded by the fact that Magnus himself had contacted the Clave, telling them that he wanted the Shadowhunters to stay away unless they had specific information leading to the breaking of his curse.

But Simon wasn't a Shadowhunter.

"Just... checking how you are," Simon said. Magnus stepped aside to let him in. Simon gratefully took the offer, side-stepping around Magnus' cat and looking around the place.

Most of Magnus' things had returned to him, though it seemed that Magnus had used the opportunity to move things around a little. It wasn’t the same place that Simon remembered and he took a moment to get his bearings. He took a seat on the couch as Magnus sat opposite him on a loveseat that Simon didn't remember him having before.

"As you can see, I'm fine. How are you?" Magnus asked, all pleasantries. Simon nodded his head.

"Pretty good. Xena's getting an updated TV series where they're actually acknowledging she was a little too close to her sidekick to be just friends, so that made me pretty happy," Simon said, keeping his tone light. Magnus smiled.

"Well, as a fellow Xena fan, that I can get behind," Magnus replied. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"You watched Xena?" He asked. Magnus shrugged.

"TV is one of the main things that makes this century better than the last. That and internet porn," he conceded. Simon couldn't help but laugh. He'd never really spoken much to Magnus, never really thought of him as more than a Warlock and then a curse victim. It was interesting to see his personality aside from that.

It was interesting to think about Alec dating someone like this.

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what your internet history is like," Simon said. Magnus smiled with only a slight hint of teeth.

"Oh, you should see Downworlder porn. So much imagination. Much more than that Mundane stuff," Magnus waved his hand dismissively. Simon's mind was suddenly full of questions, but he pushed them away. Another time, perhaps.

"Have you... um... messaged Alec recently?" He asked. Magnus' smile disappeared.

"We are  _ not _ on speaking terms," he said. "Though I did send him a message around a week ago to reassure him that nothing had popped up with the curse. He didn't respond."

Simon frowned. Alec had said nothing about that to them. It could have saved them a lot of worry. He picked up one of Magnus' many throw cushions, putting it in his lap and picking at the corners.

"Alec's being dumb. Just because he can't work out what he feels-"

"I don't want to hear this from you. If I am going to hear it from anyone, I'll hear it from Alec himself," Magnus interrupted. Simon nodded. He could appreciate that, he even respected Magnus a little more for it. He knew plenty of people who would take the easier option, of being placated by friends with reassurances rather than dealing with the person's feelings directly.

"Okay. But what do you think of Alec? Honestly," Simon asked. Magnus paused, putting his finger to his lips as he thought.

"He is attractive and I can't deny that there's... something there," Magnus said, his eyes skittering off to the side. "Unfortunately, I don't think Alec is anywhere near ready to pursue the things I would want."

Simon thought about that. Magnus was probably right.

"I guess you're kind of more grown up than us, huh?" He said. "Isabelle and Clary would be telling you to rush in there and start dating but... You've got a lot to consider and Alec's complicated. Even if he is gay, which he's never going to admit to easily."

"You seem like you've given it some thought," Magnus prompted. Simon shrugged.

"I just want everyone to end up happy in the end. Leaps and bounds was good for Clary and Jace, I guess, but for Alec? It'd have to be baby steps. In any case, he hasn't spoken to me about this, so I don't even know if he likes you. I just got a hunch," Simon replied, watching Magnus' reaction carefully. Magnus was nodding along with what he was saying.

"You're much more astute than I gave you credit for," Magnus said after a moment. Simon smiled.

"Yeah well I don't understand half the conversations they're all having most of the time. So I pay attention to other stuff instead. You know, the bits that don't involve Seelies and Vampires and Accords and all that," he said. Magnus nodded and got to his feet.

"How rude of me. Would you like a cup of tea Simon?" He asked. Simon thought about it.

"Nah, I better get going," he said, getting to his feet also. "What are you doing tonight though? If you're free, I'm pretty sure that Clary and the others would love to see you. As a friend, not a curse victim."

"I have a date tonight," Magnus said, smiling. "A man who is built with the body of Adonis. I intend to be enjoying myself far too much if you understand my meaning."

Simon did. He felt his cheeks colour.

"Rain check then," he said. Magnus had the decency to pretend he had the intention of it.

"Indeed."

*

"The more I thought about it, the more worried I got," Simon said. Magnus was glad he'd skipped over some of the more... personal details of their conversation. He had divulged perhaps a little too much to Simon.

"I could have handled it myself-" Magnus protested but Raphael hissed at him, sharp teeth bared. Alec, surprised, flinched away. Interestingly, Simon barely twitched.

"There was no way you were handling that situation. We'd have been finding pieces of you washing up in the Hudson for months," the vampire spat. Magnus bit down on his tongue to stop himself angering the vampire further.

"The curse hadn't acted up in weeks so I was suspicious of a sudden chance encounter," Simon continued as though there had been no interruption. "I decided to just... Check one more time at Magnus' apartment. I... I knew what his address book looked like from when I contacted Ragnor and... I found the details of the date..."

*

Simon stood in front of the Hotel Dumort. He steeled his courage. Magnus had said quite firmly he didn't want Shadowhunters involved, so it ruled out Clary as his accomplice. But it didn't stop him from recruiting anyone else.

His first thought had been Luke, but he wasn't sure that the other wouldn’t tell Clary even by accident. He knew that Luke was an adult, that he was perfectly capable of keeping his mouth shut, but there was still a niggling doubt.

Raphael, however, had no loyalty to any of the Shadowhunters. And if it turned out to be a fool's errand, well, Simon had lost nothing. If it turned out to be something, well, maybe he'd have a particularly strong vampire at his side to help him out.

He took the stairs up to the suite that he remembered as Camille’s. He could hear people moving out of sight, but he steeled his courage. No one would bite him, surely? From what he could gather, it was against the Accords to do so.

"You shouldn't be here," Raphael said, melting out of the darkness on the stairwell like he'd teleported there. Simon took a step back, nearly over balancing on the stairs and windmilling his arms as he tried to steady himself. For a moment, it seemed that Raphael considered letting him fall, before he rolled his eyes and reached out, faster than lightning, to grab the front of Simon's shirt and pull him back upright.

"I was looking for you," Simon said. Raphael's eyebrow climbed upwards and he glanced over his shoulder.

"We can't talk here. If Camille even catches a whiff of you, we're going to be dealing with your friends at the Institute on a much more personal level," Raphael said, grabbing Simon's shoulder and steering him back down the staircase.

"There's an all-night diner called Taki's in Manhattan. Use Google Maps to find it. Go there and wait for me," Raphael said. Simon nodded, wondering if Raphael would really come.

The other pushed him rather unceremoniously out of the door. Simon glanced back but Raphael was already gone. He hadn't even got to tell him what it was about yet. Feeling like he was about to be set up, he put in Taki's Diner into Google. Interestingly, it did come up, though it was marked as "closed years ago" by various disappointed people in Yelp reviews.

He guessed that would be the place and walked quickly to the nearest subway station. The train ride was long enough for Simon to wonder if he was being sent on a fool's errand, but when he arrived at the place his phone suggested, he was surprised to see the vampire outside and waiting for him.

"You didn't drive? Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting?" He snapped. Simon shook his head. The building behind them did look closed down, but then, he guessed there was a glamor he couldn't see past.

"Look, it's about Magnus' curse-" he began. Raphael groaned.

"Seriously? You came to see me about that? I don't know anything about it. I thought you needed my help with something to do with actual vampires," Raphael said, turning to walk away. Simon surprised even himself when he reached out to grab Raphael's arm to stop him walking away. The other whirled round, snarling, but he didn't attack.

"Magnus doesn't want Shadowhunters involved and he's alone tonight. I think something bad is going to happen," Simon said. Raphael rolled his eyes.

"A hunch? I'm not going out of my way on a hunch," Raphael said, shaking off Simon's grip. Simon tried to drum up the last of his courage.

"Look, you owe me-"

"Not enough for this," Raphael replied, though his eyes looked off to the side, as though he were remembering something.

"I genuinely think we need to check out this address. If Magnus is just... enjoying his date, then we can leave. But if something's happening..." Simon trailed off. Raphael was still. It was a different kind of still to the way other people were. There was no blinking, no gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, his skin didn't twitch as his pulse ran through his veins. He was still, like a corpse was still. Like nothing in the world could move him.

"I'll do it," Raphael said after a moment. Simon sagged in relief.

"Thank you," he said. Raphael gave him a long look.

"I'm not doing it for you," he replied. Simon had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t want to ask too many questions and discourage the other after he’d agreed to help.

"Right, we've got to get back to Brooklyn..."

*

"You should have come to us," Alec's voice was quiet, barely a mumble. Magnus felt sick when he thought of Alec being placed in that situation.

"I'm glad he didn't," Magnus replied, putting his head in his hands. "I'm glad that it was Raphael. There were things in that house... Things that..."

"Things that people with souls should never have been forced to see," Raphael finished for him, giving Alec a long look. Alec was still at Simon's side, though he placed the water down now.

"Tell us," he said. Simon looked even more pale than before. His trembling had only gotten worse.

"I can tell you," Raphael said and Magnus watched as Raphael perched on the arm of the chair, his hand going to Simon's neck and rubbing it. It seemed a small gesture, but Simon's trembling went back to manageable levels.

"An effect of the blood," Raphael said quietly when Alec looked at him in askance. "Anyway, we got there at maybe... 11pm? Not much after that..."

*

"No lights on," Simon said, peering up at the house that the address pointed to. Raphael narrowed his eyes, trying to see if the house was glamoured in any way. There were no glamours, but something didn't seem right anyway.

"Maybe they're already up to the good stuff?" Simon suggested, sounding hopeful. Raphael was still trying to make out something through the windows when the wind changed direction.

The smell was almost overwhelming. Freshly spilled blood, the smell of putrefaction, the scent of fear, all hitting his nose at once and making him stagger backwards.

"Sh-shit," he covered his nose, looking at the house once more with a kind of horror. He'd never smelled something that bad before. There must be a good number of bodies inside the house for it to stink that badly.

And fresh blood. Fresh blood meant that there'd soon be another victim.

"What's wrong?" Simon was asking. Raphael wanted to ask him if he could smell it, but he knew that Camille's blood in the Mundane's veins had long since worn off.

"You were right. There's something wrong with that house," he choked out, wiping his eyes which had started to water from the smell. Simon immediately turned back to the house.

"Should we go in?" He asked, sounding for all the world like he wanted Raphael to say no. Raphael cleared his throat, trying to ignore the smell.

"If we wait for your Shadowhunters to get here from Manhattan, we might be too late. I can smell old bodies and some recently spilled blood. If Magnus is not dead already, he might soon be," Raphael said. Simon seemed to need no further prompting. He ran up to the door, hunched over as though to make himself seem small.

Raphael followed, trying to shake the feeling that they were being watched already.

Simon turned the doorknob and the door swung open, inwards. He turned to look at Raphael, who nodded forward with his chin. Simon took a few steps inside, Raphael hot on his heels.

It was dark inside. Raphael tried the light switch on the wall, but the power was completely cut. He guessed he was lucky to be a vampire and have excellent night vision, but Simon seemed to be having worse luck. His eyes were squinting into the darkness, trying to take in the room.

Raphael did the same. He realised the reason he hadn't been able to make out much through the windows was because they had been boarded up from the inside, their curtains pinned against the glass. He walked over to one, looking at it curiously.

All the gaps between the boards were lined with razor blades or razor wire. Nowhere was a space left large enough for a hand to escape without it being ripped to ribbons by the blades.

There was blood on them.

Raphael leaned forward, sniffing at it. It smelled familiar.  _ Magnus _ .

He was about to tell Simon what he'd found when there was a loud bang.

Simon swore loudly, spinning around. The door, which they had both left open, was now shut. The wind had caught it, presumably, as there was no one else there. Simon immediately ran towards it, grabbing the handle before Raphael could call out a warning.

The barbed wire around the handle tore Simon's skin. Raphael could smell the blood that dripped from his palm. He felt his nostrils flair. He'd fed already, luckily for Simon, but still, to have fresh blood spilled so close to him...

"Fuck!" Simon pulled his hand back, holding it against his body dazedly, as though not sure what to do with it. Raphael knew that he had to act quickly. Whoever had baited this trap almost certainly knew they were in the house now.

"Here," Raphael said, handing Simon a handkerchief. Simon took it, wrapping it around his hand a few times before tying it in a knot.

"Come on, we need to move," Raphael said when he was done, grabbing the Mundane's uninjured hand and pulling him towards the back of the house. It was a long shot, but perhaps the back door was unlocked?

"What do you think this is?" Simon whispered to him as Raphael walked them quickly to the back of the house. Raphael didn't want to think about it too much.

"I'm guessing that this is a trap. And we were baited and caught by it, the same as Magnus. And from the smell earlier, I'd say we aren't the first victims here," he said softly. He could hear Simon's heart racing in fear.

The back door was clearly boarded up when they reached it. Simon stared at it dumbly.

"How do we get out?" He asked. Raphael shook his head. It was then that he heard it, the sound of footfalls on stairs.

"Raph-"

"Sh!" Raphael, slammed his hand over Simon's mouth. He had no desire to meet the person who owned this house. Whoever it was, they'd got the best of Magnus. If the Warlock had been resorted to using his hands to try to rip the boards off the windows, then Raphael could only guess how powerful their foe was.

"That way! Quietly! Go!" Raphael said, pointing out the other door out of the kitchen that led to the lounge and back to the front door. He could taste Simon's fear sweat in the air as the other began to edge towards the lounge door. Raphael backed up after him, keeping his eyes on the other door to the kitchen.

A large shape was walking purposefully down the hall, but even with night vision, it was impossible to entirely make out the identity of the person. Raphael felt Simon freeze behind him. Trust the Mundane's flight or fight instincts to give out at this point.

He grabbed Simon's shoulder and shoved him into the lounge.

"Run!" He hissed at the same moment as he became aware the footsteps had stopped in the kitchen. He heard the sound of Simon getting to his feet, of him scrambling away, just as he felt the sharp slice of something down his back.

He turned away from the blade. The pain was minimal, it didn't bother him, but clearly the man had expected him to go down from it. He saw the man's amused smirk. He was attractive with a few days stubble, his beard salt and pepper flecked.

He was also covered in blood from head to toe, splattered across his crazed features.

He smelled like blood and Magnus Bane.

"Where did you take Magnus?" Raphael asked. The man smiled.

"The Blue Room, with the others. And soon you'll be there too. Though I didn't expect a vampire, admittedly," he said. Raphael cursed. He had hoped that this was a Mundane who wouldn't know any of his weaknesses.

He backed up but the man was fast, faster than he should have been. Just what  _ was _ he? He managed to grab Raphael's wrist and twist it, forcing the vampire to drop. The moment he was on his knees he felt it, a rosary sliding around his hands. He hissed as the beads began to burn his skin.

"I've never had a vampire before, but you always have to be prepared," the man said. Raphael struggled to get his legs back under him, lashing out to try and kick the other. The man, however, poured something on him that at first just felt like cool water, but then began to burn.

Raphael began to scream as his flesh began to peel off his face.

*

"Holy shit," Jace said, his arms dropping to his sides. 

"I've had worse," Raphael said, shrugging. Magnus gritted his teeth. He remembered what Raphael had looked like when they'd found each other. He remembered the burns on his face, rapidly healing but still gruesome to look at. Like someone had tried to peel his face off one layer of skin and muscle at a time.

"I was the one who found Magnus," Simon said, his voice low.

*

Simon heard the screams from above. Raphael's, not their attackers. He almost turned back to help, but then he remembered that Raphael was infinitely stronger than him. He had to find Magnus and an escape route. Raphael would have to find his own way to escape for now. For now, he needed to find a hiding place where he could stop for a moment and think.

He found the door to the cupboard under the stairs and opened it, surprised when he found a staircase to a basement. The screams were only growing louder and he felt his stomach churning.

He couldn't do anything for Raphael now. He had to get out of sight or it would be both of them being tortured.

Simon used the screams to disguise the sound of him closing the door and his own steps down the staircase. The basement was lit with candles, seemingly hundreds of them. The light shifted on the walls, giving the impression of movement. Every time a shadow shifted, Simon's heart leapt to his mouth.

Chains hung from the ceiling. At first he thought that they were coated in rust, but as he got closer he saw a clump of hair hanging from one. He reached out with his uninjured hand, touching one and pulling it back. It was wet with blood.

"No.... No more..."

Simon spun around. In the corner of the basement there were plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling. They looked like someone had painted a Jackson Pollock with someone's entrails. Simon felt fear rush through him as he edged forward.

He didn't know what he was going to see, but he was sure he didn't want to see it.

He drew the curtain back, swallowing his fear and squaring his shoulders.

It wasn't Magnus.

But whoever it was they weren't faring well.

He knelt down. The young man looked terrified. He was clutching at his throat where blood was pumping weakly over his hands. Simon took off his hoodie hurriedly, pushing it against the man's neck as quickly as he could. 

The man's face was bruised, bloody. Perhaps he had once been handsome, it was impossible now to know. Simon tried to compartmentalise what he was seeing from what might happen to him in the future. It would help no one for him to freak out now.

"We're gonna get you out of here," he said. The young man gurgled back before raising his free hand to point to the other corner of the room.

"Over there... He took... He took the new guy..." The man said, blood bubbling over his lips. Simon followed the man's finger but he couldn't see through the darkness precisely if Magnus was over there.

"Okay. You keep this here then we're going to get you out of here, okay?" He promised. He got to his feet, ignoring the blood sticking up his arms as he dashed across the basement.

Sure enough Magnus was there. His hands were a shredded mess, but other than that he seemed unharmed. His eyes were closed though, and there was an IV bag hooked up to his arm. Simon didn't even think before ripping it out.

Magnus didn't stir.

It was then that Simon heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. The man in the bathtub began to sob.

"No... No no no... No more... You promised... You promised to save me..." He said. "No, no no no NO!"

Simon watched almost in slow motion as the man removed the hoodie from his neck, allowing the blood to freely flow. He dragged himself up, out of the bath tub, balancing himself on the edge of it precariously. His own blood was running down his skin.

Simon wanted to cry out, wanted to say something, but he couldn't. There was a moment where the young man's eyes met his.

"You promised," the man said, before he wrapped one of the chains around his neck and jumped from the edge of the bath tub. His neck snapped like a thunder crack. Simon watched his body swing back and forth, terror having spread through every part of him.

"Oh, well that's unfortunate."

Simon stared dumbly at the door. A man stood there, no doubt the psychopath who had created this hell hole. He was covered in blood and Simon wondered if it was Raphael's or the young man’s.

It was almost a physical feeling when the man's eyes slid to him. Simon felt every muscle in his body tense. The man took a few steps forward.

"Another one trapped in my net. What a night for me," he said. Simon slowly got to his feet. He needed to run. He took a step backwards, his foot colliding with Magnus, still unconscious on the ground. Looking back the warlock, Simon knew he couldn't just flee and save himself.

He tried to kick his paralyzed brain into gear, tried to come up with a plan to get away.

"You know, as I usually only take one at a time, I've never really got to enjoy the range of emotions that goes into hunting a herd. But really, it's most fascinating," the man said. Simon thought he sounded almost in love. Simon however was going to be sick, or empty his bladder, and he wasn't sure which.

"Oh well, luckily for you, it'll all be over quickly," he said and suddenly he was behind Simon. He was supernatural, not a Mundane like Simon had presumed, though what kind Simon didn’t have time to ponder. He felt the blade bury itself into his back from behind with a sharp twist before he fell to his knees.

He tried to crawl forward, aware that the blade was still lodged in his back, aware that he needed to let someone know where he was. He needed to get help... He tried to get his phone out of his pocket.

"Ah, ah, ah," the man said, planting his foot on Simon's back, forcing him against the ground as he pulled the knife out of his back. Simon screamed, suddenly acutely aware that he'd bleed out in minutes if he was left without medical attention.

"Oh, you're going to be so much fun..." The man crooned. Simon called up the last of his strength, trying to crawl forward just another inch. Somehow, he felt if he could just move forward, he could escape.

The foot on his back was suddenly gone. There was the sound of scuffle, shoes against concrete floors and chains clinking. A click, followed by a curse, then the sound of something heavy hitting flesh with a cracking noise.

Then silence except for heavy breathing.

"Simon? Oh god it is you."

Magnus was suddenly there, pulling him up. He felt light-headed, he could barely make out the warlock's face. Magnus was clicking his fingers, over and over again, looking more and more panicked.

"Come on... Come on..." Magnus was mumbling to himself but each time nothing happened. "Fuck this curse. Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Magnus! Is that you?!"

"Raphael! We're down here you have to help me-"

Simon felt his eyes drooping closed. He tried to make them focus. Was something moving in the-

"Magnus! Look out!"

Simon felt himself falling, hitting the ground with a painful thud. There was the sound of fighting, the thwacks of successfully landed punches, the metallic sounds of metal slicing against fabric and through the air.

"Get Simon!"

He felt strong arms lifting him up. He opened his eyes in time to see a monster. He tried to scream but his lungs were filled with blood. He stared up at it, its skin flayed off and hanging in strips from it's jaw.

"Simon! Stop struggling! It's me!"

The voice was Raphael's. He stopped fighting against it, drooping against the other instead.

"You look like... Colossal... Titan..." He forced out. Raphael huffed.

"I have no idea what that even means," he said, taking Simon's weight against him. "Magnus! I've got him!"

He felt himself being jostled as Raphael dragged him up the stairs. There was a howl of frustration before he heard footsteps rapidly following them up.

"Move, move, move, move!"

"I'm going as fast as I can! Do you want to carry him?"

"Oh god he's going to get us!"

"Magnus will you-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

He felt himself dropped again, the sound of a boot hitting flesh then the sound of something falling down the stairs.

"Get up!"

"I'm trying!"

"We need him on his feet again, Raphael!"

"Well, heal him!"

"My magic doesn't work in the curses you idiot! Do you think I'd have hands like this if I could heal myself? Or that I'd have been caught-"

"Less talking more moving Bane!"

Simon felt himself dragged up the final few basement steps before the door was slammed behind them. He forced his eyes open to take in Magnus barricading the door with as much furniture as he could. The door shuddered against its frame.

"It won't hold him for long," Magnus said, backing away from the door. "We need a way out."

"Magnus... He's not going to last," Raphael said and Simon realised with a sinking feeling that they were talking about him.

"I haven't got any magic to heal him. Not until this curse is done," he heard Magnus saying. He felt dizzy.

"Fuck. We have no choice. I hope this works," Raphael said, and Simon felt himself being propped up against the other's chest.

"Simon, drink this," he heard Raphael say. He felt warm skin being pressed against lips, then the coppery, tangy taste of blood. He turned his face away immediately.

"No... No I don't want to be a vampire..." He protested weakly. Raphael growled.

"You won't be a vampir-"

"No!" Simon protested. He would not be one of those undead  _ things _ . The cupboard door was shaking even harder now.

"Raphael, use your  _ encanto _ ," Magnus hissed. There was a momentary pause. Simon felt it this time, overpoweringly strong. It wasn't the same as before, where Raphael's  _ encanto  _ had come on him almost gently. It was now desperate, clawing, forcing its way into his psyche and raking down it.

"Drink," Raphael ordered. Simon found himself complying, even against his will. The blood slid down his throat. He tried to stop himself but Raphael didn't let up the compulsion until he'd taken a few healthy mouthfuls.

"Ready," Raphael said. Simon felt the pain leaving him. He felt floaty, unreal, everything suddenly seemed so far away. He felt his willpower slipping away, giving into Raphael’s  _ encanto _ almost entirely.

"How fast will it work on him?" Magnus asked. Simon could feel that there was danger, but he felt in the back of his mind. A niggle, rather like trying to remember if you left the stove on.

"It's already working. He's going to feel like superman for a bit, but he's still mortal. The blood loss is going to kill him. He needs a hospital," Raphael said. His face was much more healed now, the skin growing back over the damaged tissue. He looked almost human again.

"I need a hospital," Simon agreed, though his voice sounded strange, drugged to his own ears.

"Up. We can try and get out from the second floor," Magnus suggested. Raphael nodded and Simon felt the order, unbidden, that he needed to move by himself. He followed Magnus, his muscles feeling strange. It felt all at once like he was weak and strong.

There was a shudder on the staircase as they started walking up it.

"Shit he got through," Raphael said, giving Simon's shoulder a push. Simon felt the sudden urge to run, and so he followed it. He found himself in a child's bedroom, though it looked like it had been untouched for years. He stared around at it, almost absently.

"Oh for god's sake. This is why  _ encanto _ was a bad idea!" Raphael said, slamming the door shut behind them and pulling a wardrobe in front of it. There was the sound of metal embedding itself into thin chipboard.

Simon walked towards the window. It was boarded up and there were razor blades all round the planks. He reached out, feeling them cut through his hands.

"Shit!"

He felt Raphael try to rip his hands away from it, but he held strong to the planks. Something was telling him that this was the only way. The plank splintered in his grasp, coming away from the windows with a crunch.

He used the plank to break the glass of the window, staring out at the ground below.

"Well, that’s one way to do it. Can you survive that jump?" Raphael asked Magnus, his hand still wrapped around Simon's wrist. Simon dropped the plank of wood, his blood dripping onto the ground.

"We'll find out," Magnus said, climbing onto the window frame and kicking out some of the leftover glass. For a moment he hung there, coiled like a cat, before he leapt. He hit the ground and rolled almost from the porch to the middle of the street. A car swerved to miss him.

"Your turn," Raphael said, shoving at Simon's shoulders to get him to climb into the window. There was the sound of shifting furniture behind them.

"My turn," Simon agreed and, following Magnus' example, he launched himself from the window. He hit the ground hard, glass and stones biting into his skin as he rolled. The  _ encanto  _ suddenly broken by the shock of pain.

Seconds later boots landed by his head, Raphael having landed perfectly, catlike. He scooped Simon up into his arms, heading to the street where Magnus was struggling to his feet, panting.

The warlock’s eyes were menacing as he clicked his fingers. Flames surged from his hands, circling up towards the house and sliding in under the gap in the threshhold like smoke. Suddenly there was a loud boom. The windows blew out, purplish fire following them a moment later. The house burned with warlock flames from within and Simon thought he could smell burning flesh even through the smoke. Magnus hands were almost clawed as he poured more and more magic into the blaze, his cat eyes blazing.

"Magnus never mind that right now!" Raphael hissed. Magnus seemed to come back to himself. He turned to Simon, his eyes intent and then nodded.

"Here's nothing. This isn’t going to feel like a love tap," he said and the magic in his hands changed, no longer directed at the house but at Simon’s back instead. \

Simon had never felt agony like it. His body seemed to be fighting whatever it was Magnus was trying to do to him. He was aware he was screaming.

"Shhhhh," Raphael said, and Simon felt cool hands stroking his feverish face.

"There. He's better. But I couldn't do anything about the vampire blood you gave him. That's beyond my ability to heal," Magnus said. Simon felt woozy. His whole body was shaking. He reached out to grab at something, anything to ground him.

He realised he had accidentally grabbed Raphael's nose.

"What did you two do to me?" He asked, voice raspy from screaming and a mixture of his own blood and Raphael’s still clogging his throat. 

Raphael looked down at him, his face now entirely normal once more.

"We saved your life."

*

"That is why I said it. No more Shadowhunters, no more Mundanes, no more werewolves or vampires or fairies!" Magnus said, standing up, desperation filling him. "I will not sit by and watch this happen to other people!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you had told us in the first place!" That was Alec, getting to his feet himself, eyes mirroring the desperation that Magnus felt himself.

"Oh, and that would just be perfect for you wouldn't it? Me owing the Lightwoods another life debt?" Magnus yelled back. "How many people will you put in danger to keep racking up the score I wonder?"

"This isn't about that and you know it isn't!" Alec replied, just as heated.

"I will not have you die for me!" Magnus shouted, aware that the glamor he wore over his eyes had dropped as his magic fluctuated with his emotions.

"Stop running away!" Clary had joined Alec now, her chest heaving with unrestrained emotion. Magnus felt his shoulders hunch.

"I am not running away! Why are you so quick to want to run into danger? Something to prove Fairchild?" He snapped back.

"Yeah well, if you could just come to terms with the true nature of this curse then-" Clary was working up steam and Magnus raised his hand, ready to silence her with magic if he needed to. Jace was moving in front of her, hand on his blade and ready to strike. Magnus could see Ragnor was also getting to his feet, magic sparking at his fingertips-

"Stop it!"

They all froze.

It had been Simon who had spoken. Raphael was looking down at him with the kind of admiration that Magnus had rarely seen the vampire afford another person. Simon seemed not to notice though, his gaze was fixed on Magnus.

"Everyone seems to be talking about this as though it were some great sacrifice. As though it were something that couldn't be helped or that I was pulled into completely blindly," he said, his voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried through the room as loud as a shout.

"I didn't do it because I have links to Shadowhunters. I wouldn't know how to claim a life debt. I didn't do it because you were cursed and it's my duty. I did this because... Because you were excited by the idea that you might get to see Xena and Gabrielle kiss one day," Simon said. Magnus stared at him. "I did this because you asked me if I wanted a cup of tea. I did this because you're not just a Downworlder, or a Warlock, or a cursed person. You're Magnus Bane. And you're our friend."

Magnus felt the magic on his fingertips flicker and die. Simon was just staring up at him fixedly.

"And I'd do it again," he said firmly.

"You're all stupid and insane. Or both, never a good combination," Magnus said, though there was something glittering around his eyes that wasn't eyeliner.

"What good friends you've made," Ragnor said, speaking for the first time in the conversation and putting his hand on Magnus' shoulder. "Friends who would fight for you the way you have fought for so many others over the years."

Magnus swallowed thickly. He would not lose control of his emotions over this. He looked around at them hopelessly. At Clary, eyes fierce and shining. At Isabelle, smiling, shiny and bright. At Jace, who looked uncomfortable at the insinuation of friendship. At Simon, who wore such an earnest expression, Raphael at his side looking on determinedly. At Catarina, her gaze steady and sure.

At Alec, his blue eyes hiding nothing of the sincerity he felt.

"Thank you," Magnus said, aware his voice broke over the word. "Thank you all."

There was a silence that it seemed no one wanted to fill until finally Raphael broke it.

"For the record, I did it because of the life debt I owe you. None of this mushy bullshit," he offered. "So don't include me in this Care Bear Hug Circle."

Magnus couldn't help but bark out a laugh as the tension in the room eased. Raphael gave him a grin that Magnus would describe as wolfish, if he didn't know that Raphael would punch him for it.

"Raphael... I meant to ask you something, actually," Simon said, looking up at the vampire. Raphael looked at him curiously.

"Why the hell do you carry a handkerchief around like an old man?" Simon asked, holding up a hand that had been inexpertly wrapped in a handkerchief. Magnus wasn't sure he'd ever seen Raphael look so flustered before.

"Shut your face, Mundane," he said, but there was a smile to the edge of his snarl that perhaps the others couldn't see. "What the hell is a Colossal Titan anyway?"

"Huh? Did I say that? Oh it's from this anime-"

"Anime? What the hell is an  _ anime _ ?"

"Japanese cartoons."

"On second thought, I don't think I wanted to know-"

Magnus looked away from them and saw Alec was staring at him. He nodded towards the curse room. Alec seemed to understand and followed him when he turned to walk into it. The others were so busy fussing over Simon to notice they'd slipped away. Apart from Ragnor, who gave Magnus an exasperated look as Magnus closed the door behind them.

"Alec, I-"

"No. Don't say anything," Alec said, not meeting Magnus' eyes. "Simon put it better than we ever could I think."

Magnus nodded and turned towards the curse book. He picked it up, looking at the contents. There it was, right beneath Snow White.

"Bluebeard. The story was Bluebeard," he told him. Alec stepped forward, taking the book and was about to flip through the pages to the story when Magnus stopped him with a hand over his own.

"Don't. There's nothing in those pages that will make me or Simon feel better," he said. Alec nodded and put the book down. The Rose glowed an eerie pink in the darkness of the curse room, giving Alec's complexion some much needed warmth.

"I'm sorry," Magnus said finally. Alec looked at him and Magnus could sense there were a thousand words that wanted to break through Alec's self-imposed barrier, but then Alec's gaze shuttered, closing himself down without even giving those words a chance.

"I'm sorry too," he said, and Magnus wondered what those other words would have said, given the chance to escape. Another time, perhaps?

"We should go back to the others. There'll be rumours about us," Magnus said, smiling as best he could. Alec smiled back, though there was something in the smile that looked broken. It was no longer the innocent, slightly goofy smile that Alec had given him in the past. It looked like his heart was hurting.

Magnus had no idea what it meant.

"Yeah, let's go make sure Simon's alright," he agreed. Magnus watched him leave, wondering what on earth had changed in those few weeks and how on earth he could undo it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:
> 
>  _Magnus stared at the scene in front of him. The cats were stood on their hind legs, walking like humans. That was..._ unusual. One of the cats turned to look at him and gave him a solemn nod. He nodded back, not sure what the proper etiquette was for greeting felines. It seemed to be enough because the cat turned back to its procession without another glance his way.
> 
> "Well, that's enough LSD for one night," he said to himself, dusting off his hands and ignoring Alec's confused look his way.


	9. A Funeral for Nine Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Come to check I haven’t keeled over in the night?” Magnus asked, stepping aside to let Alec inside. Alec shook his head.
> 
> “Er, no. I just… I wanted to see you,” he said and in his head he cursed because that was… so trite and stupid. Magnus’ expression however was worth the admission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait. I had to redo the whole thing because I had realised that further on in the story a certain thing didn't work and needed to work all the way back through my buffer and just in general, a certain scene needed to come earlier which then led to a lot of rewrites and then this chapter. Enjoy!

“This is… more than I expected,” Maryse said, leafing through the report in front of her. Her expression was grave. Alec was sat opposite her. He had chosen to deliver the report in person, ignoring Izzy’s offer to help. He knew that he was the one who had to deal with this.

“Yeah. It seems the curse roped in innocent Mundanes to fill the body count it needed for the Bluebeard myth,” he said. Maryse sighed and leaned forward.

“And it very nearly claimed three more victims without us lifting a finger,” she finished for him. Alec nodded. He didn’t want to point fingers or assign blame. He was sure that none of them would have thought it was a curse that was causing the Mundanes to disappear. He wouldn’t correct her though, if it was going to help his cause in keeping Magnus safe.

“We should bring him in. If we can make him sit out these curses in a closed environment-” Maryse began but Alec cut her off before she could finish.

“Magnus is never going to agree to that,” he replied. Maryse gave him a long look.

“You’re sure about that are you? If it were anyone else, you wouldn’t let their personal wishes get in the way of practical measures,” she pointed out. Alec swallowed and forced himself not to look away.

“Anyone else isn’t the High Warlock of Brooklyn,” Alec replied. His mother rested her elbows on the table, looking at him over her fingers.

“Anyone else isn’t Magnus Bane, you mean?” She asked. Alec resisted the urge to squirm.

“He’s a friend,” he said and hoped he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. Maryse didn’t so much as blink.

“Alec, I need you to be honest with me,” she said, laying her hands flat against the table. “Why are you so insistent on personally being responsible for the well-being of this warlock?”

Alec couldn’t meet her eyes any longer. He was sure that it betrayed him, but he couldn’t face to look on his mother’s face any longer.

“I need more time… before I can answer that question,” he replied truthfully. He heard his mother sitting back in her chair.

“Alright, Alec, you can go. Keep me updated on everything,” she said. Alec stood up and walked quickly out of the room, his heart hammering in his chest.

*

Magnus stared at the rose. He knew he was brooding. All the same, he couldn’t deny that almost half the petals were now on the bottom of the case. He was almost through his allotted time.

He rested his hand against the glass.

Bluebeard had given him a lot to think about. He was supposed to be searching for True Love, but he had been taken in by a pretty face and the prospect of an easy lay and been punished for it. It was like the curse knew that he hadn’t been taking it that seriously.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to find his True Love, but it hadn’t worked out any other time he’d thought he’d found it. Etta, who had loved him but not enough to truly ever join his world. Imasu, who had tried to grab onto him only to find him like dust. Camille, who had left him to run away with a Mundane without a second thought. Axel, who had died for political beliefs that were stronger than any feeling he had for Magnus.

How was he supposed to find someone he felt so strongly for in such a short time?

His mind went to Alec. He shook his head at the thought. Yes, Alec was interesting. He was attractive and Magnus couldn’t say that his chest didn’t feel a little tight around him. He found his smile enchanting. He also knew that there was no way that Alec was about to give up being a Shadowhunter to settle down with a Downworlder.

Magnus knew that he could never consider something True Love if he had to hide it in the shadows and keep it a secret from everyone. Could Alec ever have True Love with Magnus if all he felt was guilt?

No, that pathway was doomed and it was going to waste his time to pursue it.

Magnus turned away from the rose, going to make himself a strong drink.

Perhaps he should just put an ad in the paper?  _ 400 year old Warlock seeks attractive young person for fun times, True Love and exciting bedroom activities.  _ He snorted to himself, though his humor was short-lived.

What on Earth was he going to do?

*

Simon ran his finger over the words on the newspaper, smudging the ink a little as he did so.

**13 BODIES FOUND IN BROOKLYN TOWNHOUSE**

Below there was a picture of the victims. Simon didn’t know any of the faces except one. The last one he recognised, even though he had seen it for only moments and incredibly different from the yearbook photo presented.

“Don’t you have a home to go to?”

Simon looked up. Raphael was stood there, his arms folded. Simon looked away again quickly. If he was honest, Raphael still frightened him a little, but there was another reason he was sitting outside the service entrance of the Hotel DuMort in the cool June night.

“I do but apparently vampire blood does all kinds of weird things to you and means you probably shouldn’t be around your mother when you hallucinate… She thinks I’m on meth,” Simon replied. He heard Raphael’s shoes on the ground as the other moved to sit on the ground next to him.

“You’re going to end up being eaten if you hang around here long enough,” Raphael warned. Simon drew his knees up to his chest.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” he said. “The Institute would be a  _ bad _ idea because they’d want to investigate it. Magnus’ place would be even worse because he just looks all kinds of guilty whenever he looks at me. Clary just wants to talk about what happened all the time.”

“And you think, somehow, that waiting to be a blood bag would be better?” Raphael asked. Simon’s shoulders hunched.

“You were there. You… understand,” he said. Raphael let the silence hang between them. Simon reached for the discarded paper.

“They’ll never understand what happened to their son. They’ll never know who killed him. It’s… wrong,” he said, turning to show Raphael the headline. Raphael didn’t even look at it, his gaze intent on Simon’s face.

“No good ever comes from getting Mundanes mixed up in the Shadow World,” he warned. “They’re best off not knowing.”

“Is that what you did when you turned? Just left your friends and family wondering what happened to you?” Simon asked. Raphael’s face turned dark and he looked away.

“They knew what had happened to me,” Raphael said. “In the worst way it’s possible to know.”

“What happened?” Simon asked. Raphael’s lip curled.

“I’m not going to spill my life story to teach you a lesson,” he snapped. Simon didn’t need Raphael to say anything more. He knew with a sudden, horrifying clarity, what had befallen those Raphael was closest to.

“Right. You’re right. You don’t owe me that,” Simon replied. He put his hand into his pocket. He drew out the handkerchief Raphael had wrapped his wounded hand in. Even though he had washed it, it was still stained slightly with his blood. He hadn’t been able to get it out.

“Here. I… er… It’s clean but, y’know, it was stained and er…” Simon helplessly held out the handkerchief. Raphael stared down at it. RS and a small cross was embroidered in the corner. He didn’t reach out to take it.

“Why the hell would I want a stained handkerchief back? Keep it,” he said. Simon looked down at it.

“But it’s yours and it’s got your name on it. It’s not like I can use it. Besides, like, I use Kleenex and-” He snapped his mouth shut when he realised that Raphael was probably not going to like his long-winded response. He shoved it back into his pocket.

“If you’re determined to offer these people closure…” Raphael said, trailing off as though he was debating with himself whether or not to finish the sentence. “...you should take Lucian Greymark. He’ll be able to see the victims without it raising too much suspicion and he’s skilled with dealing with Mundanes who get mixed up in the unpleasant parts of the Shadow World.”

“You’re recommending I take a werewolf?” Simon asked. Raphael turned his face away.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he threatened. Simon found himself smiling a little despite himself.

“See! You do have a heart!” Simon said. Raphael reached up to the crucifix he wore around his neck. Simon had never noticed it before, but looking at it now, he noticed that it looked like Raphael was constantly burned by it.

“It’s not me who would do this… but my mother. She wanted to know,” Raphael said softly. Simon went still. He felt if he let his mouth get away from him at this moment, that he would spoil everything. After a pause, Raphael continued. “The reason I helped you is because… Magnus Bane helped my mother find me… He helped me gain control over the base instincts all vampires have. He helped me return to her and even though I lied to her until she died, she had the peace of mind of knowing that I was no longer human.”

“So she got closure, even if you had to lie to her,” Simon said softly. Raphael nodded.

“You seeing that guy’s mother might not help anything in the end. But if she is anything like my mother was… she’ll appreciate any information that can help her lay her son to rest,” Raphael finally met Simon’s eyes again.

His eyes were dark, the street lamps shining off them and giving them an otherworldly quality. Simon thought that for all Raphael’s ethereal qualities, he’d never thought he looked more human.

“Thanks, Raphael,” he said, getting to his feet. Raphael didn’t stand, instead leaning his head back on the wall to look up at him.

“Stay away from this place. If you need me, message instead,” he warned. Simon raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah and how am I meant to do that?” He asked. “It’s not like you’ve ever given me your number.”

Raphael looked at him like he was insane.

“Don’t you have Facebook? I thought everyone did,” he said. Simon stared down at him. Facebook… Vampires used… Facebook?

“Raphael Santiago. Should be pretty easy to tell which one is me,” he said. Simon nodded, speechless and walked away.

On the subway home, he typed Raphael’s name into the search history. There were quite a few Raphael Santiagos, but only one with a picture of a The Count from Sesame Street as his display picture. Simon sent a friends request feeling more than a little weirded out.

Raphael made him feel out of sorts.

*

Alec looked up at the bare lightbulb outside Magnus’ apartment. The conversation with his mother had left him out-of-sorts, at odds with himself. He’d questioned everything, imagined a million different scenarios and Magnus’ reactions to each one but in the end, his thoughts had come back to only one thing.

He wanted to kiss Magnus again. When Magnus was awake and when he could see the other’s reaction. He wanted to ask Magnus on a date. He wanted to make sure that Magnus was safe. He wanted… other things too that he could barely admit to himself he wanted.

He rang the buzzer.

“WHO CALLS UPON THE HIGH WARLOCK?”

Alec couldn’t help the fond smile that slid across his features. He leaned forward towards the speaker.

“It’s me. Alec,” he replied. There was a pause, then the buzzer went. Alec climbed up the rickety steps. He’d rehearsed a thousand ways of starting the conversation in his head, but when he saw Magnus waiting for him at the door of the apartment, every single word went flying from his head.

Magnus looked better than he had done the last time Alec had seen him. He wasn’t covered in Simon’s blood, his clothes torn, his make-up smudged around his eyes. He wore jeans, low on his hips, and a T-shirt with a cat decorating it in sequins. There was a strip of tanned skin that peeked from beneath it, revealing the top of his hip bones. Alec forced himself to look away.

“Come to check I haven’t keeled over in the night?” Magnus asked, stepping aside to let Alec inside. Alec shook his head.

“Er, no. I just… I wanted to see you,” he said and in his head he cursed because that was… so  _ trite _ and  _ stupid _ . Magnus’ expression however was worth the admission.

“You wanted to see me? Well, now then, that’s odd,” Magnus said, walking over to his ottoman and sprawling on it. Alec took the couch, feeling out of sorts. He had never done this before. He didn’t know what he was doing. He had no idea how Magnus would react even if he was  _ pretty _ sure that Magnus liked him the same way he liked Magnus…

And if it wasn’t True Love, well, what did that matter? How many people found their True Love in their early twenties anyway?

“I… Well… After everything I…” Alec realised his words were not coming out as eloquently as he’d practiced. Magnus was looking at him with an amused expression but Alec thought he saw something else underneath it. Something that looked almost like panic.

“Alec, you know I’m fine. Bluebeard barely harmed me. Simon or Raphael were much more damaged by the encounter,” he said calmly. Alec felt his mouth open and close a few times soundlessly before he finally forced the words from his throat.

“No. I mean… I wanted to know ifyouwouldgoonadatewithme?”

Magnus blinked at him. “Did you have a muscle spasm? I could have sworn you just said-”

“Magnus,” Alec interrupted him. “Will you go out with me?”

Magnus went very still. Alec thought his eyes darted over his shoulder, in the direction of the curse room, before Magnus’ eyes settled back on him again. The warlock seemed to be deep in thought.

“Alec, have you spoken to Clary?” He asked. Alec frowned a little.

“Clary doesn’t know I’m here. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming,” he replied. Magnus licked his lips as he thought. Alec’s palms felt sweaty.

“You know what, it’s fine. It was a stupid idea anyway. Forget I asked anything. I just… You know, I thought you liked me, you know,  _ more _ than liked me or whatever and I thought that, seeing as I like you and everything, that we could maybe go on a date but I guess I forgot that you kind of flirt with everyone and I-”

Magnus stood up and Alec snapped his mouth shut. Magnus sat next to him on the couch and reached out, very gently brushing his fingertips along Alec’s cheekbone. Alec let his eyes close. He could feel his cheeks heating up, as Magnus’ gentle caress ended in his hair.

“You barely talk, but when you do, you talk more than Simon,” Magnus commented, and his tone was laced with amusement. Alec’s eyes opened a little to see Magnus was smiling at him.

“You like me?” Magnus asked. Alec nodded, not trusting his voice. Magnus smile, usually so catlike and coy, suddenly seemed like a supernova.

“I can agree to a date,” he said, magnanimously. Alec’s heart thumped harshly in his chest. Magnus’ hand was still in his hair, playing idly with a lock by his ear. He reached up, covering it with his hand. Magnus’ smile morphed into something less bright and yet somehow warmer.

“But you have to know something-” Magnus started but then his eyes were drawn away. Alec turned, following his gaze.

What he saw made absolutely  _ no _ sense.

*

Magnus stared at the scene in front of him. The cats were stood on their hind legs, walking like humans through his apartment. That was... unusual. One of the cats turned to look at him and gave him a solemn nod. He nodded back, not sure what the proper etiquette was for greeting felines. It seemed to be enough because the cat turned back to its procession without another glance his way. The cats disappeared into his bedroom.

"The curse book,” Alec said, getting to his feet straight away. Magnus was hot on his heels as they both burst into the room. Magnus still felt strangely giddy.

Alec had asked  _ him _ on a date.

He still felt cautious though. As excited as he was, seeing the rose there, half-wilted, reminded him that this could all be a humongous waste of time. Alec was still a Shadowhunter and he had readily admitted that he had come here secretly. The risk factor, if he relied on Alec, was too high…

But a date couldn’t hurt, could it?

“Magnus, read this,” Alec said, holding out the book. Magnus looked down.

“[The King of the Cats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_the_Cats) _ , _ ” he read. At his feet, Chairman Meow rubbed against his legs. He looked down at him.

“Oh no. No, no,  _ no _ ,” Magnus said, suddenly realising where this was no doubt going. “This curse can threaten my life, it can put me through humiliation and indignities beyond any I have so far suffered, but it is  _ not _ taking my cat!”

*

Jace stared at the feline that Alec was holding out to him. He didn’t reach out to take it.

“Isn’t that Magnus’ cat?” He asked. He had been reading in his room when Alec had come in and, without a word, just held out the animal at arm’s length.

“We’ve gotta keep it away from Magnus. Otherwise it’ll become King of the Cats,” Alec said. At any other time, Jace would have thought his parabatai had gone insane, but now he just realised that this was the effect Magnus Bane had on everyone. Everything seemed to get turned upside down.

“Right. And you’re bringing it here because…?” He asked. Alec’s eyes skittered to one side.

“Because my mother will probably be suspicious of me doing anything more for Magnus right now,” he said. Jace sighed and reached out, taking the cat from Alec’s grasp. Chairman Meow immediately began to struggle. Seeing Jace’s predicament, Alec shut the door quickly, allowing Jace to release the squirming feline who immediately ran under the bed.

Jace hoped it stayed there.

“And she’d be suspicious because…?” It was like getting blood from a stone. Alec very, very slowly met his eyes.

“I kissed Magnus,” he admitted, his voice so small that at first Jace thought he’d heard incorrectly. But the blush on Alec’s face confirmed it. Jace wished he could act surprised by the revelation.

“Was it ‘magical’?” Jace asked. Alec looked up at him, clearly shocked that he dared make a joke out of it. Jace met his gaze steadily.

“Why aren’t you surprised?” Alec asked. Jace walked forward, putting his hand on Alec’s shoulder.

“You’re my parabatai, my brother, my best friend. Even if this had been a complete shock to me, I’d have still been okay with it it. Though,  _ Magnus _ , really? I just don’t see the appeal,” Jace said, wincing. Alec was still under his hand for a moment before he seemed to gather himself.

“I asked him on a date,” he admitted. 

“What are you gonna do?” Jace asked. He couldn’t imagine what kind of date Magnus Bane would want to go on.

“I dunno. Magnus said he’d sort it out but…” Alec looked down. “Jace, I know it’s not love. I just… I need to… I can be myself with him.”

Jace smiled and lifted his hand from Alec’s shoulder to ruffle his hair.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Alec. Just be smart about it and I’ve got your back. And I’ll kick Magnus’ ass if he hurts you,” he said, suddenly realising that it would be a  _ lot _ harder than he probably thought to kick the ass of the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

“Thanks, Jace,” Alec said, and Jace couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Alec look so relaxed, so goddamn happy.

“Well, if we need a Prince in any more of these fairy tales at least we’ve got one to hand now,” Jace joked. Alec’s smile slipped a little, but at that point Chairman Meow darted out from under the bed, his sharp little claws slicing into Jace’s ankles with such precision that Jace would have thought the cat had been trained to do it.

“He hates me, just like his owner,” Jace deadpanned as Alec pulled the cat off Jace’s ankles. Alec was absently stroking the cat’s ears.

“Magnus doesn’t hate you,” Alec said, though there was little conviction in the statement. “I don’t think he knows your name, so I’m not sure he can hate you.”

Jace gave Alec a long look, causing his parabatai to grin.

“Don’t give me that look or I’ll let the demon cat go and you can save your own ankles,” he threatened. Jace held up his hands.

“See if I do a favor for you and Magnus again,” Jace grumbled.

*

*

Magnus didn’t sleep all night, watching the book carefully. Finally, as the sun rose, the book filled out the folk myth of the King of the Cats. He slipped his phone out of his pocket, calling Alec immediately.

 

“Hello?” Alec’s voice sounded sleepy and gruff. Magnus felt a smile come over his face.

 

“Is my cat still there?” He asked. He heard the sound of Alec sitting up in bed, the pop of his spine as he stretched.

 

“Lemme check,” he said. There was silence for a moment, the sound of doors opening and closing. Magnus waited patiently.

 

“Yeah, Chairman Meow has turned full traitor and is curled up with Jace and Church,” Alec said, yawning. “Guess we caught it just in time.”

 

Magnus relaxed before he took in what Alec was saying.

 

“What do you mean, curled up with  _ Jace?  _ Alec, did you let my cat stay with your parabatai?” He demanded. Alec yawned again.

 

“Is that everything, Magnus? It’s 5:47AM. I wanted to sleep a little later than this,” he said. Magnus opened his mouth to reply by Alec had hung up on him. Magnus stared at the phone.

 

Well, wasn’t that just grand.

 

Still, he could get his cat back from Wayland’s clutches the next day. He wasn’t sure what the point of  _ this _ curse had been. Compared to the last one it seemed trivial, but at least he had managed to keep his goddamn cat safe.

 

He set the book down, rolling his shoulders and dragging himself to his bedroom. Just as he was about to fall asleep his phone vibrated across the bedside table. He reached out to snag it. It was a message from Alec.

 

_ Turns out that it wasn’t a truce between them, Chairman Meow was just feeling like gloating. Jace just found a ‘present’ in his boots and his favorite leather jacket has been mauled. I’m putting the Chairman in protective custody until you get here. See you later. _

 

Magnus smiled.

 

“Good boy,” he murmured before he slipped into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are parts that are lifted or parodied from the canon short tale 'Kissed' here.


	10. Cassandra Complex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, now that’s business attended to, how about we discuss pleasure?” Magnus asked. Alec looked over his shoulder at his open door and quickly kicked it closed.
> 
> “Magnus, keep your voice down. Anyone could hear you,” he said, his voice low. Magnus rolled his eyes, standing up and making his way over to Alec.
> 
> “You were the one who asked me on a date, Alexander,” he reminded him. “Am I supposed to tiptoe around like I’m a dirty secret?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter got so long I had to divide it in two so... sorry...

Magnus came to the Institute at 1pm with a cat cage and a cheerful smile on his face. Alec went to greet him. His stomach felt strange, like he was going over a particularly fierce drop on a rollercoaster. When he saw Magnus it felt like it rose somewhere around his throat and he found it suddenly hard to swallow.

 

“Hi,” he said and was surprised that his voice sounded so strained. Magnus raised an eyebrow but gave him a warm, slightly knowing smile.

 

“It’s lovely to see you again, Alexander,” he replied. Alec was hyper-aware of the Shadowhunters behind him but even so he couldn’t hold back the stupid smile that he was sure spread across his face. Magnus gave him an amused look.

 

“I’m here to pick up the Chairman,” he said. Alec nodded. Right. The cat.

 

“Yeah he’s in my room. No one else would take him in after… this morning,” he said, turning and walking towards the dormitory rooms. Magnus fell into step with him easily, his dress shoes clicking on the floor as he walked.

 

A few Shadowhunters glanced at them as they walked through, but none seemed to find it strange that Magnus was there. Alec guessed that it had already been noted that the Institute was offering its help to the High Warlock.

 

“I hate the atmosphere in this place. Always so serious,” Magnus said once they got out of the main room and into the warm, wood panelled corridors that led to the private quarters. Alec shrugged.

 

“You get used to it,” he said. Magnus gave him an amused look.

 

“It is your kind of place, not mine,” he said. Alec had to concede the point. Thinking of Magnus spending much time in the Institute… He remembered his mother’s suggestion, that they should keep Magnus locked up in the Institute until the curse passed. He knew now, better than ever, that Magnus would never agree to such a thing.

 

“So, this is my room,” Alec said, pushing open the door. Compared to Magnus’ loft, it was sparse. His room was for sleeping, to keep his weapons and not much else. Magnus looked around it for a moment before he spotted Chairman Meow curled up on Alec’s pillow.

 

“Oh there you are. Come on now. We have to get you in this cage before some pesky Shadowhunters decide to call animal services,” he said, putting the cage on the bed and scooping the Chairman into his arms. There was a brief few seconds of Magnus cooing over his cat while Alec stood awkwardly watching, before Magnus put him into the cage.

 

Chairman Meow mewled once in protest, before he seemed to get woozy and then curled up into a ball. Alec suspected magic, though he wasn’t about to ask.

 

“Well, now that’s business attended to, how about we discuss pleasure?” Magnus asked. Alec looked over his shoulder at his open door and quickly kicked it closed.

 

“Magnus, keep your voice down. Anyone could hear you,” he said, his voice low. Magnus rolled his eyes, standing up and making his way over to Alec.

 

“You were the one who asked me on a date, Alexander,” he reminded him. “Am I supposed to tiptoe around like I’m a dirty secret?”

 

Alec felt his mouth going dry the closer Magnus got to him. He knew he had to say something but his mind was going unhelpfully blank.

 

“The look on your face suggests that’s exactly what you expected. Well, I guess that it might be interesting… for a while,” Magnus conceded. “But you should know Alec-”

 

Alec reacted on impulse. He didn’t want to confirm Magnus’ claims, nor could he refute them. But he could stop him talking. He put his hands on Magnus’ hips and pulled him forward. Any resistance that Magnus put into moving was useless against the runed strength of his arms.

 

Magnus’s mouth met his in a soft, unskilled kiss that made Alec’s head spin. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He couldn’t believe Magnus was letting him do it when he clearly had been about to list a dozen reasons why he was going to bail on their first date.

 

But Magnus wasn’t just letting him do anything. The warlock pressed up against him, one hand burying in his hair, the other sliding a little under his t-shirt and resting there. He felt Magnus’ tongue brush against his lips and instinctively parted them.

 

Every atom of his being seemed to be vibrating as he felt Magnus’ tongue brush against his own. He could hear his own heart beating fast in his chest, hard enough that he was sure Magnus must be able to feel it too, as close as they were.

 

Magnus’ hand slid out of his hair and down to his neck, thumb brushing against a spot that made Alec’s knees feel weak. He wasn’t sure what his own hands were doing anymore but he hoped he wasn’t doing anything wrong. His whole concentration was taken up by being able to stand and kiss and breathe all at once.

Magnus finally pulled back and Alec made an involuntary noise in his throat that he had never heard himself make before. He needn’t have embarrassed himself though, because Magnus wasn’t going anywhere. The spot on his neck that Magnus’ thumb had brushed against before was now attacked by Magnus lips and Alec couldn’t stop his head from rolling to the side to give Magnus more access.

 

He heard Magnus chuckle.

 

“Maybe it’ll be worth it?” He heard Magnus murmur against his neck and he wanted to reply but then there were lips brushing against a spot beneath his ear he’d never even thought of as particular sensitive before and he found himself clutching to the fabric of Magnus’ suit.

 

He wasn’t aware of time. It was just Magnus’ lips and tongue and hands and the shared sounds of their breathing in Alec’s too small room. He was hard and he knew that he just had to say the word and Magnus would take care of that for him no problem at this point, but in the Institute it was too risky for both of them.

 

There was a knock at the door.

 

Alec jumped back so fast he stepped into one of his weapons racks, sending arrows scattering to the floor. Magnus quickly turned so that he wasn’t facing the door, but not before Alec could see his kiss-swollen, wet lips.

 

The door opened to reveal Jace, who cleared his throat and was looking at Alec in disbelief.

 

“Your mother’s coming,” he said. Alec scrambled to pick up the arrows and set them back on the rack. He saw Magnus pick up the cat cage and hold it in front of his hips in a way that probably didn’t seem too suspicious.

 

“You two look like you’ve been making out,” Jace said after a moment. Alec saw Magnus’ eyes narrow.

 

“I assure you that no such thing was-”

 

“It’s alright, Magnus. He knows,” Alec said. Magnus turned, looking a little surprised by the admission. Alec flashed him a smile but then realised he needed to do something about how they looked.

 

“Alec, look at me, this might be rather a delicate operation,” Magnus said. Alec looked up in time for Magnus to click his fingers and a flash of magic exploded in his face. He blinked.

 

“What did you do?” He asked. Magnus didn’t answer, too busy focusing on getting himself respectable. Jace was glancing into the corridor.

 

“Glamored you so you don’t look like the pin-up boy for December,” he said as he leaned back inside. “I can hear her footsteps.”

 

Magnus was carefully using a magicked finger to glamor his face back to normality. Alec wondered if Jace was at all freaked out by any of this. He didn’t have time to ask though before his mother swept into the room. Alec had just put the last arrow back.

 

“High Warlock Bane. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Maryse said, offering her hand. Magnus, took one hand away from the cage and reached out to shake it. He managed to look completely unaffected.

 

“Maryse, it’s been a long time,” he said, nodding his head to her. Maryse smiled, though there was no humor to it.

 

“I see that my ‘doubtless repellant brat’ has been helping you considerably recently,” she commented. Alec frowned at her but Magnus groaned and looked up at the ceiling.

 

“Been waiting eighteen years to make me eat my words, Maryse?” Magnus asked. Maryse was still smiling. Alec stepped between them. He wasn’t sure where the animosity came from, but he had a feeling that it was from far in the past.

 

“I just wanted to remind you what you thought of Shadowhunters before you needed us,” Maryse replied. Magnus laughed, though it sounded a little forced.

 

“Dear little Lightwood girl, my thoughts on Shadowhunters are pretty much unchanged from then. Downworlders don’t forgive trespasses quite so easily as Shadowhunters forgive their own,” Magnus said, and there was a look to his eyes that said that it was about to get extremely dangerous to let this conversation continue.

 

“Mom, um, Magnus is just here to collect his cat. We were looking after it because it was affected by the curse,” Alec interrupted. Maryse looked down at the cage where Chairman Meow slept.

 

“I am aware. I was informed that you crept in last night with an animal. I figured it would have something to do with the High Warlock’s case,” she said. “I felt it was important to inquire after the High Warlock’s status in person however.”

 

Alec didn’t know what the true motive was, but he certainly didn’t feel that his mother cared about Magnus’ well-being that much.

 

“Right as rain, Maryse. As I’m sure Alexander could have told you,” Magnus replied. Alec wished they would both just stop.

 

“Alexander’s reports have been very detailed, yet there are some things I have yet to see with my own-”

 

“Magnus!”

 

Clary walked into the room with a large smile on her face. Jace, who had been lurking near the door silently, reached forward to try to stop her, but he wasn’t quick enough. Clary threw her arms around Magnus’ neck and hugged him tightly to her. Maryse took a step back, her eyebrow raised.

“Hello there, biscuit. I was just rescuing my cat from Golden Boy’s clutches,” Magnus said, putting his spare arm around her shoulders before pulling away.

 

“My name’s Jace,” Jace reminded him from the door. Magnus didn’t even look at him as he drew back. Alec watched his mother with bated breath to see if she would say something to Clary.

She didn’t though. Instead she turned to him.

 

“Alec, walk with me,” she ordered. “Jace, Clary, you can see Magnus out.”

 

Alec didn’t dare look at Magnus as he was escorted from the room by his mother. He didn’t entirely understand what had gone on, but he was almost certain that it wasn’t just that his mother would be disappointed in him for being gay, or for dating a Downworlder, it would be that he was gay and dating that Downworlder.

 

Outside the door, Maryse turned to him, her eyes serious.

 

“You asked for more time. I considered it. You have a week, Alec. After that, I want you to tell me what hold that warlock has over you,” she said. Alec refused to meet her eyes.

 

“Understood,” he said. Maryse put her hand under his chin, forcing him to look at her. When he did he saw that her eyes were more tired than he’d ever seen them.

 

“I love you, Alec,” she said softly. Alec knew that. He also knew he was going to hurt her more than anything if he told her the truth.

 

“I love you too, Mom,” he said, before he stepped back, away from her arm’s reach and re-entered the room.

 

*

 

Magnus saw Alec re-enter the room and wondered if he was going to be affected just the same way that Jace and Clary appeared to be.

 

“I’m Magnus Bane,” he said cautiously. Alec tilted his head.

 

“Yeah, I know,” he said. Magnus let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Clary and Jace who were looking at him incredulously.

 

"The sky is blue," Magnus said, looking at Clary directly. She laughed.

 

"Magnus, stop being so stupid," she said, tapping him on the arm. Magnus turned to Alec in time to see the frown pass over his features.

 

"Alright. We're in New York right now," Magnus tried. Clary made a dismissive gesture.

 

"Stop lying to me Magnus," she said. Alec raised an eyebrow at Magnus who gave him a sharp smile.

 

"Me and Alec had a lovely date last night and we walked and talked and we even kissed," he said. Alec opened his mouth to protest but Clary folded her arms.

 

"Magnus, if you don't stop talking nonsense I'm going to leave," she said. Alec looked at Magnus quizzically.

 

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf," Magnus said. "I could tell them anything right now. It wouldn't matter. They don't believe a word I say."

 

“You’re joking right?” Alec asked and turned to Clary and Jace with an exasperated look on his face. Magnus just shrugged. He guessed he wasn’t going to be immediately thrown out now that he had a legitimate, magical reason for being there.

 

“Alec, can’t you tell he’s talking complete nonsense. For whatever reason he just can’t stop telling ridiculous lies,” Jace said dismissively. Magnus watched as Alec looked between them all, his brain obviously trying to come up with a work around.

 

“Wait, wait, wait. Magnus just said this curse was The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Didn’t you hear that?” He asked. Jace frowned.

 

“No he didn’t,” he replied. Magnus rolled his eyes.

 

“Well, what did you hear him say?” Alec questioned. Jace shared a look with Clary.

 

“I heard him say that… I… I don’t know. I just know it was a lie,” he admitted. Alec nodded and looked at Clary, who nodded. Magnus stuck his fingers through the cage door to lightly brush Chairman Meow’s cage.

 

And the day had been looking so good too.

 

“Wait, we can believe you. Does that mean as long as you repeat whatever Magnus says, we can believe him?” Clary asked. Magnus looked up at her and then at Alec, before shrugging.

 

“Might work,” he said.

 

“Oh god, I just had to stop myself from telling you all that he’s lying,” Jace said, rubbing his forehead.

 

“Try saying something Magnus,” Clary urged. Magnus leaned back on his hands, making himself comfortable on Alec’s bed. Really, it was far too hard lounge in, but it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere for a while.

 

“The story is the Boy Who Cried Wolf, so you aren’t going to believe me until the wolf itself appears,” he said. Alec dutifully repeated him verbatim to the other two, who both listened carefully to Alec’s words.

 

“Yeah. I can believe you. Which means you’re going to be Magnus’ translator until this is done,” Clary said. Jace smirked at Alec.

 

“I’m sure that you don’t mind that, right?” He asked. Magnus watched as Alec’s face flamed. Clary’s eyes darted between the two of them but Magnus did his best to look unconcerned.

“Moving beyond that, it does mean that there’s a big bad coming to get me,” Magnus pointed out. Alec’s flush died down as his mind was given something else to think about. Magnus watched his eyes as he thought.

“"What do you think it could be?" Alec asked. "A werewolf? Vampire?"

 

Magnus shook his head. "We've already dealt with werewolves and Raphael would have told us if there was a vampire that was after my head."

 

Alec looked confused. Magnus waited a moment and then saw it click together in Alec's head. He was glad that the boy wasn't completely stupid.

 

"You think...?" Alec obviously wasn't going to allow himself to finish the thought.

 

"I think it's going to be my father," Magnus said and he knew in his gut that it was true. He guessed that could be part of the curse too, to know what was coming for you and be unable to stop it.

 

"Um, hello, guys? Not to spoil your little Boy Scouts meeting but what is going on? Me and Clary are having a difficult time following this conversation when we can only apparently believe half of it," Jace interjected. Alec didn't look flushed this time, he just turned to Jace, his expression tight.

 

"We need anti-demon protections... Really strong ones," Alec said. Jace's lips thinned.

 

"What demon?" He asked. Alec looked at Magnus and Magnus was suddenly not able to look Alec in the eyes anymore. Alec had always known he was a warlock, but knowing his exact heritage surely drove the point home a bit harder, did it not?

 

"Asmodeus," Magnus said after a moment.

 

"Asmodeus..." Alec repeated, though whether it was for Jace and Clary's benefit or because he had suddenly realised the futility of the task before them, Magnus couldn't say.

 

"General of Hell Asmodeus? As in, the really powerful one who strikes fear into the hearts of even other demons?" Jace asked. Beside him Clary was looking increasingly alarmed.

 

"That's dear old Papa," Magnus said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Jace looked at him, then pointedly looked at Alec who just nodded once. Jace rubbed at his forehead.

 

"We're gonna need an army to fight him off ourselves," he said.

 

"Or be able to make a deal far better than stripping me of my immortality and using my life force as a little warlock battery," Magnus reminded them. He did not want to meet his father again, he wasn't too keen on the thought of the curse being able to manipulate higher demons either.

 

"I'm guessing from the fact you didn't translate that, it was irrelevant and he was just bitching right?" Jace asked. Alec, who seemed to have been lost in thought, suddenly looked up at Jace.

 

"An army or a bargaining chip better than the life of a centuries old warlock," Alec said. "But you can bet that mother won't allow us barter with anything of the Institute's that's worth that much."

 

Magnus got to his feet. As fun as it was to watch Shadowhunters go round in circles, he was certain that he there were others with much more expertise than them to go to with this particular problem.

 

"We need Ragnor and Catarina. Luckily, thanks to Simon, they've been on high alert. I suggest you do your research on Asmodeus. Ragnor, Catarina and I will come up with a strategy," Magnus suggested. At Clary's frown, Alec quickly repeated the gist of what had been said.

 

"How are we going to be able to protect you if you're outside the Institute though?" Alec asked. "It's truly the safest place right now. No demon could get past the wards."

 

Magnus regarded Alec for a while. He was an amazing man, truly, but he also had the habit of taking everything upon himself. One day, he would be a fantastic leader, but he was still growing into that role, slightly stunted from always being in Jace's shadow.

 

"Four centuries old, Alexander," Magnus reminded him. "And in those four centuries I've run into my father before. Trust me, it will be best if I contact Ragnor and Catarina and sort this out in my own space on my own terms."

 

Alec looked for a second like he might try to stop him, then a peculiar look came over his face. His shoulders slumped.

 

"Fine. We'll use every resource the Institute has got and reconvene at yours as soon as possible. Magnus, let us know anything you and the others think of," Alec said, folding his arms across his chest. His muscles did look rather nice like that and Magnus remembered the feel of those powerful arms dragging him forward into a kiss less than an hour before.

 

"I have a good incentive to live, I think. After all, after that kiss, just imagine what anything else will feel like?" Magnus asked, winking at Alec who turned red from his collarbones to the tips of his ears.

 

"What? What did he say?" Clary asked. Alec cleared his throat.

 

"Absolutely nothing important, I promise you," he said. Magnus chuckled and patted Alec's cheek as he left the room.

 

As soon as the door was closed though, the teasing demeanour dropped.

 

He was in trouble. Big trouble.

 

*

 

"You want to beat your father? Impossible," Ragnor said, sitting back on the couch. Magnus was relieved that Ragnor and Catarina were both unaffected by the curse also. It seemed that as only Clary and Jace had been in the room when it activated, they were the only two who found it impossible to believe him.

 

He guessed he was lucky to have been around Shadowhunters who could appreciate that something was very, very wrong so easily.

 

"Shall I roll over and die instead?" Magnus asked. Catarina had been pacing the room and then she stilled, her hand on her chin.

 

"Beating your father is near impossible, just like Ragnor said. I mean, you're only a small piece of him and look how powerful you are. Never mind an army of Shadowhunters to beat him, they'd need an army of Shadowhunters to beat you," she said. Magnus grimaced.

 

"Or a fairy tale curse," he reminded her. Catarina shrugged at that, flopping down into a chair looking worried.

 

"Maybe it's not your father you need to beat, but the curse? You said that it's twisted itself before to make things fit. Isn't there a way we could twist it so it called something far less troublesome than your father?" Ragnor asked. Magnus finished putting together all their drinks, handing them out. Ragnor took the snifter of brandy and threw it down his neck without even pausing to taste the flavour.

 

"In the Boy Who Cried Wolf, the boy is eventually killed and eaten by the thing which he has lied about most but also the thing that he, himself, and everyone around him is most afraid of," Magnus explained. "There are many things I fear, Ragnor, but if you had to ask me to pick one right now, my father would be right up there at the top."

 

"You could just lie to everyone repeatedly and tell them that you were afraid of Guinea pigs or something?" Catarina suggested. Magnus stared at her blankly and she smiled a little. "What, I've never heard of Guinea pigs hurting anything. I can't think of a more harmless lie."

 

"Well, case that doesn't work, we should probably start thinking of an alternative way of twisting the curse or bargaining with Asmodeus because at this point, we're probably looking at a massacre if we try to stop him by force," Ragnor said. Magnus had returned with the decanter to pour him more brandy and he let it actually sit in the glass for more than a few seconds this time.

 

"You said it ties into the thing you fear most... But do you really fear your father most? Isn't it what your father represents that you fear?" Catarina asked. Magnus was glad, at that moment, that it was just the three of them. Without the Shadowhunters there, he could be honest.

 

"Death is something to fear, Catarina, dear. But you're right. At the moment, if you asked me what I feared most,  it would be all tied together in love and rejection and abandonment and death. One big bow of misery," Magnus said. He took a sip of his cocktail. He'd mixed it perfectly, yet it tasted far too bitter in his mouth. He grimaced a little.

 

"What's the knot holding it together?" Catarina asked. Magnus paused. If he took this metaphor to its logical conclusion...

 

"Alec Lightwood," he admitted, his voice quiet. He heard Ragnor's derisive snort.

 

"You cannot be serious about that Shadowhunter. He's barely out of nappies," Ragnor said. Magnus' mouth formed a thin line.

 

"I'm not serious about him. But I was thinking of dating him... And the key to this curse over all has always been True Love-” Magnus stopped when he saw Ragnor’s face.

 

“A Lightwood. Your true love?” He asked. Magnus allowed himself a wry smile.

 

“Well, better than Camille, is it not?” He asked. Ragnor shook his head.

 

“She was at least immortal,” Ragnor pointed out. Magnus huffed out a sigh.

 

“I said it wasn’t serious,” he reminded the other, holding up a finger chidingly. “But at the moment, it’s an option I’m looking at.”

 

“He’s cute. I can’t blame you,” Catarina chipped in. Magnus whipped round.

 

“See. She gets it,” he said, pointing at Catarina and winking. Catarina laughed even as Ragnor made a disgusted sound.

 

“Both of you are incurably stupid-”

 

“Say can you hear something?” Catarina was suddenly sat up, alert. Magnus tilted his head to one side, listening. Boots on the stairwell.

 

“Shadowhunters,” Ragnor said the word like a curse word. Magnus was about to respond when the room began to shake.

 

“And another guest,” Magnus said, letting his glass tumble from his hands as he raised his magic around himself. Darkness seemed to gather from every shadow in the room in wisps and shadow beams until there was a swirling maelstrom in the center of the room. The scent of sulphur and flames choked the air out of the room.

 

“Magnus there’s no way we’re ready to face him!” Catarina was yelling. Magnus glanced at her in time to see darkness snake out, striking her hard across the chest and sending her flying into the wall. Her head connected with an audible cracking sound.

 

Magnus glanced towards Ragnor to see the other was being held back by a force far more powerful than he was. He realised that there was no way they could have helped him, even if he did have a plan.

 

The darkness became more and more solid, the shape of a man slowly forming from it. Cat like slits stared at him from the darkness.

 

“Hello Magnus,” his father said, finally stepping from the shadows. Magnus clenched his fists, trying to ignore the terror rising in his throat.

 

“Hello father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to point you towards some beautiful art I was sent after the last update by lisa_jam for the Red Shoes chapter. You can view it [here](http://lisa-jam.tumblr.com/post/141207093958/drawn-this-for-a-malec-fic-once-upon-a-time-in) or in the chapter itself!
> 
> Lisa also illustrated this chapter's kiss too! You can view it [here](http://lisa-jam.tumblr.com/post/141611386498/the-long-awaited-first-kiss-from-malec-fic-once).
> 
> Next chapter!
> 
> He saw it, the flash of green and red amongst the dust and rubble. He began to it away frantically. He finally uncovered Catarina's face.
> 
> "Light... wood..." she managed to hiss out a pained breath. Alec tried to assess her injuries, but they were far graver than anything he knew how to deal with. "Mag... nus... taken... His... father..."
> 
> Alec felt Jace brush him aside, calling Clary and Isabelle to help him move more rubble. He watched them blankly for a second before he snapped out of it, getting to his feet and searching the rest of the apartment. He found nothing.
> 
> "Magnus!" he called, aware his voice sounded somewhat frantic. No one replied. "MAGNUS!!!!"


	11. The Big Bad Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He saw it, the flash of blue and red amongst the dust and rubble. He began to move it frantically, his nails snapping against the plaster and wood. He finally uncovered Catarina's upper body by heaving the remnants of an antique bookcase to one side.
> 
> "Light...wood," she managed to hiss out in a pained breath. Alec tried to assess her injuries, but they were far graver than anything he had experience with. "Mag...nus... Taken... His... Father..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait! You should check out the fan art that I received for the last chapter either in the chapter or [at the artist's tumblr](http://withbrokenbones.tumblr.com/post/141836344545/lisa-jam-the-long-awaited-first-kiss-from-malec)! It's the most perfect thing ever!

Alec took the stairs to Magnus' apartment two at a time. 

 

They had been forced to give up at the Institute. For all Shadowhunters' knowledge on fighting demons, there was very little about how to kill the particular demon that ailed them. They had relocated to Taki's Diner shortly after, their arms stacked full of demonic literature.

 

Clary and Isabelle had called in every favour they could and the usual suspects had answered. Simon had been useful in searching through Mundane dealings with Asmodeus. He seemed to know quite a lot about obscure internet wikis that Alec would never have thought to check. 

 

Luke had arrived no less than five minutes later. Having someone who was such an experienced Shadowhunter had helped them narrow down some of far-ranging theories that they had managed to construct.

 

Strangely, Raphael had also answered the call. He sat, serious and sullen, in a corner of the booth, reading works in Spanish about demons that Alec couldn't understand a word of.

 

Finally, they had to give up as the night wore on. Alec had suggested they relocate to Magnus' to see if the Warlock had come up with a new plan. So now they were thundering up the steps to Magnus' apartment with tired looks on their faces.

 

At first Alec assumed the tremors were from so many of them on the rickety staircase but then a particularly violent one threw him off balance. He fell backwards, causing Jace to tumble with him. Their velocity was stopped by Raphael, who pushed against them to prevent the domino effect. Alec barely even nodded him thanks before he had turned to run back up the staircase, gripping the rail tightly to keep his balance.

 

There were sounds of crashing and snapping, a dull roaring sound, shouting. Alec grabbed the door handle and had to pull his hand away quickly. It was red hot to the touch and had seared a crescent into his palm. He dug into his jean pockets, pulling his leather archery gloves on and gripping the handle again.

 

The leather sizzled against the handle as it resisted the brute force turning it. His arms strained to force the handle to turn, tendons standing out on his neck. Finally he heard the click and the door opened.

 

What he saw inside made him stop short. The whole apartment was trashed, the ceiling seemed to have caved in. Everything was covered in dust and wood splinters and bits of plaster. His eyes scanned the destruction, trying to pin point anyone who could let them know what had happened.

 

He saw it, the flash of blue and red amongst the dust and rubble. He began to move it frantically, his nails snapping against the plaster and wood. He finally uncovered Catarina's upper body by heaving the remnants of an antique bookcase to one side.

 

"Light...wood," she managed to hiss out in a pained breath. Alec tried to assess her injuries, but they were far graver than anything he had experience with. "Mag...nus... Taken... His... Father..."

 

Alec felt Jace brush him aside, calling Clary and Isabelle to help him move the rubble off her legs. He watched them blankly for a second before Jace turned to him, golden eyes narrowed.

 

"Alec! Check the apartment for Ragnor or Magnus," he ordered. It was enough to snap him out of it, clambering to his feet and stumbling over the uneven ground of the apartment. He searched for anything, green skin, a splatter of glitter, a pained sound, but he found nothing.

 

"Magnus!" He finally called, aware that his voice sounded frantic. No one replied. "MAGNUS!!!"

 

*

 

"Now, now, stop struggling," Asmodeus chided, patting Magnus on the head. Magnus jerked his head away from his father's touch. His arms were splayed out and bound by Asmodeus' magic. The only thing he could still do was breathe, talk, blink and move his head.

 

"You always were my favourite, Magnus. Always the most entertaining," Asmodeus continued. Magnus glared at him.

 

"What did you do to Ragnor?" He asked. Asmodeus glanced at Ragnor's passed out form on the floor briefly, as though he'd never considered that Ragnor had a name before.

 

"Well, I couldn't have him awake and trying to save you, could I? Though don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him. I could gain no benefit from taking Ragnor's life right now," Asmodeus said, his cat-eyes intent on his son. Magnus knew those eyes. His own resembled them so closely that there could be no doubt of their relation. Even so, he didn't feel any familial love towards this man.

 

"You only gain from taking mine?" Magnus asked bitterly and raised his chin. Asmodeus smiled at him and ran one, long fingernail down Magnus' cheek.

 

"Precisely. And it does hurt me to do so, Magnus. I really do mean it when I say that you were the one I was rooting for the most," he said.

 

"Should I feel honored?" Magnus snapped. Asmodeus still just looked mildly amused, like Magnus was a puppy yapping.

 

"Perhaps. But there's no time like the present in any case. Do you have any last words? I can always entrust them to your friend," Asmodeus gestured back at Ragnor. Magnus glared Asmodeus before his mouth formed a thin line.

 

"As you wish," Asmodeus said and magic gathered in his hand. Magnus watched it, purple and black swirling in a fiery mass that looked so much like his own magic. A slim tendril reached out and Magnus tried to lean away from it but it forced itself past his lips and down into his throat. He gagged. He'd never tasted magic before, but this tasted foul - sulfurous and toxic.

 

He felt it touch the core of him, the magic that kept him alive, the very essence of his being and the violation made his whole body shake uncontrollably. There was no pain, just a sense of wrongness that was so complete that his whole body was trying to reject it.

 

He felt the second his father's magic pierce the core and it was then that he lost all sense of self, his entire being fractured into a thousand pieces like a mirror smashed on the floor.

 

*

 

"What do we do?" Jace asked the freshly-healed Catarina. He had his arms around Alec's shoulders, pulling him back from taking his frustrations on the wall. There was already a hole in it that had been created by Alec's boot and the place seemed about to fall down around their ears enough already.

 

"I don't know. This kind of thing... Ragnor would know better than me," Catarina said. Jace had to tighten his grip as Alec struggled harder. Catarina was watching him with saddened eyes.

 

"You're all we have now," Isabelle walked around Jace and Alec and, though she addressed Catarina, she didn't take her eyes off her brother. She reached out and put her hand on Alec's chest.

 

"Alec, stop," she said, her voice calm. Jace felt Alec sag into him. He couldn't see his parabatai's face, but he didn't need to. He knew the defeat he'd see there.

 

Alec was far too into Magnus far too soon. It was disconcerting to see Alec lose it this way over someone he barely knew.

 

"Are there any friends of Ragnor's that we could call?" That was Raphael. He and Simon had been slowly sifting through the rubble for any clues as to something that would help them. Jace looked between him and Catarina, who was thinking, tears in the corner of her eyes.

 

"There's no one who would be strong enough to take on Asmodeus directly or who would do it for less than an entire country's economy worth of gold," Catarina said. Raphael sighed and threw a piece of plaster onto the floor, getting from his squatting position to his feet.

 

"Yeah, but Asmodeus isn't really the problem, is he?" He pointed out. Jace realized he was still holding onto Alec and let him go. He watched as his parabatai stood there, head bowed so no one could see his eyes.

 

"What do you mean?" Simon was the one who bit. Raphael gave him a grin.

 

"Asmodeus is being manipulated by the curse. We need to find someone to break the curse. Then Asmodeus won't want to take Magnus' soul anymore," he reasoned. Alec's head shot up.

 

"That's it! That's what we should have done from the beginni-"

 

"There's a way to break the curse already, just Magnus can't do it that way and Meliorn said-" Clary began but Alec made a chopping gesture with his hand.

 

"Don't. If there's _any_ way to save him-" Alec began.

 

"The High Warlock of the Isle of Man," Catarina said triumphantly. "She was... She hates everyone and everything but she has very strong bonds with the Unseelie Court. If there's anyone who could help us, it would be her."

 

Alec was already moving to pick up his quiver, pulling it over his shoulder. Jace was all for saving Magnus, but they were heading into a situation blind without knowing if it were even possible to save him. For all they knew, he was already dead.

 

"Catarina, how long do you think it would take to drain Magnus' life?" Jace asked. Catarina looked pale.

 

"It would depend if Asmodeus is playing with his food today," she replied, swallowing audibly. "We might already be too late."

 

"He has to drain his magic away first, right? And Magnus has a lot of it. That must buy us some time," Isabelle said. Jace could appreciate she was trying to cheer up her brother, but he wished that she hadn't said anything. Alec's jaw was set.

 

"Open a portal," Alec ordered. Catarina looked between all of them.

 

"Fine. But in return for this-"

 

"You would haggle at a time like this?" Alec asked, his voice furious. Catarina squared her shoulders.

 

"In return for this, you must put as much effort into saving Ragnor as you have Magnus. I will not save one friend and leave the other to die," she said. Alec didn't even think, holding out his hand for Catarina to shake.

 

"You have a deal," he said. Jace sighed. Beside him Clary touched his arm lightly.

 

"You would do the same, in his position," she said quietly. "We all would."

 

Jace looked at Alec's face, the determined way his brows were drawn together, the fire in his eyes, and he wondered. He wondered if he ever could be that steadfast, that prepared to do anything, as his parabatai was. For the first time, he felt like he was truly seeing the differences between him and Alec, the things that made Alec so strong, as much his equal as his friend.

 

"Create the portal, Catarina," he ordered. Catarina nodded and turned. Without flourish, she opened the portal.

 

"One more thing - Luke and Raphael, you can't come. Doona really doesn't like werewolves or vampires," Catarina said. Raphael rolled his eyes but turned back to the rubble. Luke nodded his head to show he understood.

 

"I'll see if there's any way to get in touch with the Institute to let them know what's happened," he said. Catarina nodded and then gestured to Alec.

 

He walked through the portal.

 

*

 

"What is this?!"

 

Magnus felt his head snap backwards. All the pieces of himself trying to jam themselves back together like puzzle pieces, their sharp edges rubbing together. He felt his head loll forward. He didn't have the strength to lift it.

 

He felt his father's hands in his hair, pulling his head up and he tried to open his eyes. His vision was swimming in front of him.

 

"No... I will not be manipulated by a  _ Seelie _ of all things," Asmodeus hissed at him. Magnus tried to make sense of what his father was saying. "I will not allow those mongrels to control  _ me! _ "

 

Magnus forced himself to think about the words, about the meanings, the cloudiness of his throughts slowly receding until... he smirked.

 

"Just found the curse, have you?" He asked. Asmodeus stared at him.

 

"You knew of it?" He asked. Magnus tried to shrug nonchalantly, though the effect was lessened by the fact that neither his shoulders nor arms could really move much against the restraints.

 

"Been living with it for the last six months. I know you're the typical absent father but really, you should have noticed your son was terminally ill," he said, allowing the smile to spread further and further across his face. His father stared at him for a long moment before he let go of his hair, taking a few steps backwards.

 

"I will not follow the path laid before me by  _ Seelies _ ," he said resolutely. "And I cannot break this curse. I only have one option. I can transfer it."

 

Magnus' eyes immediately went to Ragnor, still unconscious on the floor. Asmodeus followed his gaze and then let out a humorless chuckle.

 

"No, not onto demonspawn. That would anger Ragnor's father to no end," Asmodeus said. He held out his hand and Magnus saw an image flicker into being in it. A flash of blue eyes, dark hair and Shadowhunter runes.

 

"One thing I saw about your life now is that you've taken up with Shadowhunters again. It would amuse me, I think, to tie you to one with this curse," Asmodeus said. Magnus bared his teeth.

 

"Don't you dare-"

 

"Oh, but you can't stop me can you?" He asked, banishing the image of Alec that he had ripped from Magnus' fragmented mind. Magnus tried to pull against the magic that bonded him.

 

"I will not be part of this ridiculous curse and neither shall my son be," Asmodeus announced and waved his hand. A small device flew from the edges of the room towards him. To Magnus it looked like a seam-ripper, though he knew that it wasn't going to be used for anything quite as innocent as that today.

 

"I won't let you do this to Alec. I'll fight you with every bit of magic in my body!" Magnus hissed. Asmodeus laughed and leaned in.

 

"You know what's most amusing about this? From your mouth I hear these words, but there was no trace in your mind, in your magic, of being more attached to this mortal than any of the other dalliances you've had in the past," Asmodeus's voice was low, soft, purring. Magnus didn't want to hear him say anymore.

 

"I don't care I won't let you-"

 

"It's sweet that you'd try. But you must be aware, Magnus, that at this rate, you're going to die. And I'd be loathe to relinquish you to the Seelies over something so petty," Asmodeus began to unbutton Magnus' shirt, pushing the fabric aside. He ran the seam ripper down the front of Magnus' body.

 

"This is going to sting," he warned, before he plunged it in between Magnus' ribs.

 

*

 

The house was quaint. It had a dry-brick wall. Clumps of heather and lavender grew in patches around a small herb garden. Against the wall of the house, honeysuckle grew up trellises. A chicken coop squatted, rather make-shift, against the side.

 

Alec looked at Catarina, unsure if they truly had the right place. Catarina was worrying her lower lip though, looking at the others as they climbed through the portal before she closed it up with a clap.

 

" _ Failt erriu _ ."

 

Alec saw that the door had opened. A woman walked out, almost imposingly tall. Her skin was pale white, almost translucently so. Her long blond hair was braided and hanging over her shoulder where it dangled over silver embroidered clothes that were almost certainly of Seelie origin. Her waist was cinched tightly, though she wore loose-fitting silver pants that allowed her to sweep down her pathway easily. Alec noticed she was barefoot.

 

Her eyes were black, a disconcerting look with the rest of her. Alec guessed it had to be her warlock's Mark, though something told him there were more glamours around her than he could see.

 

" _ She tammylt liauyr neayr's honnick mee oo,  _ Catarina _ , _ " she said and swept Catarina into a hug, kissing her cheek before stepping back. Alec thought her voice sounded like the wind through the trees. There was something at once earthly and ethereal about her.

 

" _ Moghrey mie, _ High Warlock Doona," Catarina replied. Alec felt Isabelle touch his elbow.

 

"They're speaking Manx," she said softly. "The language we used to use to talk to the Seelies."

 

Alec couldn't have cared if they were speaking Ancient Sumerian. He just wanted them to get through the pleasantries as fast as possible so they could save Magnus.

 

" _ Ta'n ennym orrym Doona. Cre'n ennym t'erriu? _ " Doona said turning to them. Alec stared at her blankly. Doona looked annoyed.

 

" _ Vel Gaelg ayd _ ?" She said and Alec felt it was somewhat accusatory. He looked at Catarina for help. Catarina cleared her throat.

 

" _ Loayr Baarl rhym, my sailt _ ," Catarina said. Alec clenched his fists. There wasn't  _ time _ for any of this. Doona turned to him and sighed.

 

"Shadowhunters, a Mundane and a Warlock all come to my home reeking of demons and warlock magic and without an invite. You don’t even speak my preferred tongue," she said, her voice accented in a way Alec had never heard before. He guessed that it was the Manx accent. "Who are you and what do you want?"

 

"I'm Alec Lightwood. I'm a Shadowhunter from New York. These are my friends, Isabelle Lightwood, Jace Wayland and Clary Fairchild. The Mundane is Simon."

 

"Hey why am I the only one who doesn't get a surname? Do you even know-" Simon protested by the shut up when Doona's eyes turned to him. He looked sheepishly at Alec.

 

"Quite the menagerie, like a bad joke. Why are you here?" Doona asked, turning her attention back to Alec. "I do not deal with Shadowhunters. Catarina must have been desperate to bring you to me."

 

"We are," Alec admitted. "Our friend is cursed and we need to save him from the demon realm. Catarina thought that you may be able to help."

 

Doona raised an eyebrow before folding her arms. "I have no business with the demon realm and I am not powerful enough to shatter between dimensions in any case. Ask Magnus or Ragnor for that kind of thing."

 

"We can't because it's Magnus and Ragnor we need to save," Catarina said. Doona stilled for a moment. Alec thought he saw her glamour flicker, huge antlers at least four feet each rising from her brow. Then it was gone.

 

"You had better come in and tell me the whole story," Doona said, turning on her heel and walking into her cottage. Alec followed her immediately, hearing the others falling into line. 

 

He could hear Clary whispering hurriedly to Simon, could hear Jace telling her to be quiet, could hear the chickens clucking and the sound of bubbling water.

 

The inside of the cottage was just as quaint as the outside. They had walked straight into the kitchen where a kettle was boiling on the stove. Herbs were hung drying by the fireplace, while a rabbit carcass hung from the ceiling. It's dead eyes seemed to stare at Alec accusingly, even though he hadn't been the one who killed it.

 

"I cannot help him unless I know what has happened. Start talking. I will make tea," Doona said, grabbing a jar of tea leaves from the shelf and starting to conjure tea cups from around the kitchen. Alec began the tale, trying to keep it as short as possible while including all the details she would need. Doona let him finish before she set the tea out before each of them.

 

"Sounds like Magnus has got himself into a pickle that can't be solved so easily," Doona said. Alec's throat went dry.

 

"You can't help him?" Alec asked. Doona smiled and patted his cheek.

 

"You are a sweet boy, and Magnus certainly doesn't deserve someone being so concerned about him. As it stands though, I should be able to track him through the Seelie magic within him. I'll need something of the curse to track him though," Doona said, holding her hand out. Alec stared at her. Something of the curse? Like the curse book or the Rose? They hadn't thought to bring either of those things.

 

"We haven't got anything," Alec said. Doona tilted her head to one side and then she got a mischievous look to her eye. She reached out, taking Alec's hand and closing her eyes. For an uncomfortably long moment she just stood there, holding his hand, before she finally smiled once more.

 

"It's fine, you'll do," she said. Alec drew his hand back, staring up at her in confusion.

 

"You've been involved so much in this curse that you now have traces of it in you. Though it's strange how... deep the ties seem to be," she said, her smile widening. Alec wasn't sure what she meant, but it seemed almost indecent.

 

" _ Gow my leshtal _ , I must prepare for the spell. I should be ready within ten minutes. All of you, drink your tea. I'm going to need your help when the time comes."

 

*

 

Alec had never done a spell outside before, but Doona seemed to find it completely natural. She walked barefoot through the grasses, mud and seeds clinging to her skin. Alec shivered as a cool breeze blew across her garden. Summer hadn't reached the British Isles yet it seemed.

"Now, we must make a circle. For the magic to work, we will need a balance between male and female. Women on the right of me, men on the left. Alec, you should be opposite me," Doona instructed, turning to them and holding out her hands. To her left, Simon took her hand before holding his out to Jace who grudgingly took it. Alec grabbed his parabatai's hand before he took hold of Catarina's to his left.

It went around until Clary joined hands with Doona, sealing the circle.

"I thought you said that there should be balance? Cuz we have too many women," Simon observed. Alec looked around and he had to say that he agreed. Doona gave him a small smile.

"Such a Mundane way of looking at genders," she said. Simon flushed and looked away.

"Sorry," he said. Alec knew that the Mundane had questions, but he was grateful that Simon held them back.

"The spell I've cast will latch onto the Seelie magic I have felt in Magnus' soul through Alec's connection to the curse. If there is anyone else of warlock blood in the vicinity, I will attempt to retrieve them as well, though it will likely drain all my power. If, for whatever reason, I collapse, you must not let go of my hand. Do you understand?" Doona asked. Clary and Simon both nodded and she gave them a thin-lipped smile.

She began to chant and Alec felt the magic come to life around the circle. He could see the magic running across their shoulders almost playfully. It was different from the magic that Magnus practiced, almost whimsical. There was something fae about it.

Doona's voice became stronger. A wind whipped up seemingly from nowhere. At his feet, Alec felt the ground shift and when he looked down he could see that the grass had grown around his boots and was slowly twisting up and around his ankles. The others seemed to have noticed to.

Between them the grasses and weeds were growing quickly, writing and twisting as they seemed to form the magic circle that Doona required, elaborate loops and knots that looked vaguely Celtic to Alec's untrained eye.

Doona suddenly frowned.

"No... Something is... Something is wrong," she said. The glamour around her dropped and for the first time Alec saw her as she was. Antlers rose from her forehead, tall and strong, covered in mosses and flowers. Her eyes were a pale blue, clear as glass, her skin a pale yellow that reminded him of the color of primroses. The femininity of her appearance didn't change, but her physicality did. The curves of her breasts were gone, her shoulders were broader. Alec realized that perhaps calling her a 'woman' had not been entirely accurate.

"The tracking spell is coming back to us!" Doona was shouting, nir(1) voice sounding more Seelie than Alec had ever heard it. "I'm sorry. I'm going to have to use all your strength-"

Alec felt a pull that seemed to wrench him both physically and spiritually towards the center of the circle. His knees felt weak, his back felt at once hunched and straightened, his fingers spasmed in the tight grip both Jace and Catarina had on him.

Then he was catapulted backwards. He was aware that he'd let go of Jace's hand, though he still held Catarina's as they went sailing through the air. He landed harshly in the middle of Doona's vegetable patch, the breath knocked out of him by the force of the landing.

He immediately rolled, getting to his feet in time to see Doona stumble backwards.

But in the middle of their circle, there was Magnus and Ragnor.

He ran forward, feet slipping on ground made uneven by their spell. Both warlock's eyes were closed, but Alec could see the rise and fall of their chests. He checked both of their pulses, aware that the others were slowly getting to their feet also from where they'd been thrown.

Doona was looking at the center of the circle with an unreadable expression on nir face. Alec watched as ne took a few steps backwards towards the house.

"I will prepare cots for them to sleep in. As soon as they're conscious, I insist that you leave. I will not have Asmodeus come to my house," ne said. Alec nodded, reaching down to scoop Magnus up from the wet earth and into his arms.

Jace bent down to get Ragnor, his eyes meeting Alec's briefly as he did so. There was something in that look that Alec couldn't read, something that might have been a warning or might have been a trick of his imagination.

"Let's get them inside," Catarina said. "I can start repairing the damage then."

*

They settled Magnus and Ragnor on the cots Doona had prepared, making sure they were comfortable before leaving Catarina to work. Her hands were sure and steady as she began to use her magic to heal scrapes and bruises.

When she got to Magnus' torso, she paused. Alec saw her flinch and, though he could see no injury, he was sure that Catarina could tell better than he how damaged Magnus was by whatever his father had done. Catarina's hand rested on Magnus' stomach, where his belly button would have been were he fully-human, and she leaned down to kiss his forehead.

It was strange but Alec felt he was intruding. He turned on his heel, ignoring the others who had gathered in the kitchen and were preparing dinner as per the instructions Doona had scrawled on a chalkboard on the back of the kitchen door. He heard Jace call to him, but he needed air. He opened the door and stepped into the garden.

Doona was there. Nir eyes were surveying the damage and nir hands moved in smooth, tai chi like motions as ne shifted ground and plants back to where they were supposed to be.

"Doona," Alec greeted her. Doona looked up at him and nodded, proud antlers bobbing against the grey sky.

"Lightwood," ne replied. Alec stood, watching nir work for a while. Finally, Doona's arms stopped and ne turned towards him.

"You have questions," Doona said. Alec shook his head.

"It can wait," he said. Doona rolled nir eyes.

"Liar," ne said and moved so that ne was stood in front of Alec.

"The reason Catarina brought you to me is because I am perhaps the only warlock in the world who has such a bond with the fae. My mother was half-Unseele, half-Mundane. My father a lesser-demon of no consequence. Yet their powers combined means that I carry within me something special. An ability to use ley lines like the Seelie, an ability to lie like a Mundane, and an ability to use the magic of the warlocks," Doona explained, turning again to look over the landscape of the Isle. Alec looked out too, seeing the gulls flying.

"But perhaps she also brought you for another reason. Like Magnus, as a young warlock I was selfish. I cast a spell on myself so that I should never feel love," Doona said. "I felt unworthy. The process of my birth left me unlike the others. I am not male, not female, but somewhere in between. I thought myself unlovable, so I made it that way."

Alec didn't know what to say. He watched nir, the way the wind blew through nir hair, tangling it in the beautiful antlers that almost reached the eaves of the cottage.

"But then I met John and it all changed. I had cast a spell so that I would not love, but he loved me fiercely. He was relentlessly there, and though he loved me, he never pushed or tried to force me to go back on my word to myself. His kindness intrigued me and so I dropped the spell, thinking that it were impossible for me to feel anything," Doona continued. "Yet I did. He is a Mundane. He will die and I will live and yet I could not stop myself from loving him. I married him, against the wishes of my mother and with the express derision of the Seelies. After that, I took to the Unseelie Court, and we made a life for ourselves..."

"Why are you telling me this?" Alec asked. Doona turned to him once more, resting a cool hand against his cheek.

"It is the only help I can give you for Magnus' curse. The only help I can give you to breaking it. We warlocks are stubborn, stupid creatures, but even though your time is limited, do not lose faith in us. Magnus' curse, I saw what must be done, and you must help him to break it," Doona said. Alec frowned.

"I'm already helping him as best I can," he said. Doona's eyes narrowed.

"No you are not. You're only doing half the job. Surely you-"

"Alec! Magnus is waking up!"

Alec turned to see Simon had stuck his head out of the door. He looked at Doona, seeing if he was excused. The warlock nodded to him and Alec scrambled back across the garden and back into the house.

When he got to the cots, he saw that Magnus was indeed stirring, though far from conscious yet. He saw Magnus' arm rise as though reaching for something. Catarina was stood to one side, her eyes red rimmed.

Alec stepped forward, clasping Magnus' hand. He saw the warlock's eyelashes flutter a little.

"What's wrong with him?" Clary asked and her voice sounded fearful. Catarina was hugging herself.

"His father fractured some of his magic, some of the essence of what he was. Because we summoned him here, it must have done more damage than even Asmodeus intended. I don't know what effects it will have," she whispered. Alec tightened his hand around Magnus'.

"We should take him to the Institute. We can monitor his condition there. Ragnor's too," he said, glancing at the green-skinned warlock who was still completely out-cold. Catarina looked about to protest and for a moment her eyes were clouded, then she frowned, shaking her head.

"I can't portal us directly into the Institute, but we can get close enough to it that we can carry him," Catarina said. Alec nodded and picked up Magnus' sleeping body.

Doona was at the door. Ne nodded at him once, before clicking nir fingers and a portal swirled into existence. Alec stepped through it.

He was sure Doona knew he was thankful.

*

Jace shook his head sharply. When Alec had said they had to go back to the Institute, he had felt the powerful urge to disagree with him. It was only when Catarina had accepted it that the feeling had eased.

He was carrying Ragnor between him and Isabelle while Simon and Clary held the doors for them. He could hear Clary quickly telling those inside of the situation and soon the sound of gurneys on the marble floors were heard. He glanced at Ragnor's face. Would the grumpy old sod be glad to wake up in a place like this?

Alec took the first gurney for Magnus, laying him out and straightening his limbs. He needn't have bothered because Magnus almost immediately moved, his arms drawing in against his chest and his legs curling. Jace watched as Alec's hands twitched to move him back but then his parabatai stepped out of the way to the second gurney.

"He's going to be alright," Jace felt the need to say. Alec stared at him.

"Is he?" He asked. Jace could hear the pessimism in Alec's voice.

"Yes," he said firmly. Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He watched as the gurneys were wheeled away.

"You should get some rest," Alec suggested. "We traveled a long way today."

"No we didn't," Jace said, and he was confused because they  _ had _ traveled a long way today but yet he didn't seem to be able to think about it too much. Alec stared at him.

"Yes we did. The Isle of Man is in Britain. That's why it was day there and night for us," Alec explained patiently.

"No it wasn't," Jace said and he didn't know  _ why _ but he just couldn't agree with anything Alec was saying at that moment.

"Jace, this isn't funny. Stop it," Alec said.

"It's hilarious," Jace replied. Alec's face became pale.

"Oh god... That's what Doona meant when ne said the curse was in me. It had passed on!" Alec hissed. Jace opened his mouth to argue but Alec shoved a hand over his mouth before he replied.

"Don't say  _ anything _ alright?" He said. Alec removed his hand and then seemed to be running his hands through his hair.

"Big Bad Wolf... Big Bad Wolf... Who would be my-"

"Alec!"

Jace saw the way Alec's face paled when his mother walked forward, he recognised the look his parabatai got in his eyes when he realised something. There, in that moment, he realised that whatever it was that Alec had been muttering about, he had figured it out.

"Mother," he said. Maryse looked him up and down.

"I need a report about the circumstances that have led to two prominent warlocks unconscious in our infirmary," Maryse demanded. Alec took a deep breath.

"Yes mother. Let's talk in the office, we have plenty to discuss," he said.

"No you don't!" Jace heard his mouth say. Maryse gave him a strange look before she turned on her heel and walked away. Alec stared at Jace for a long moment.

"I want you to follow me," he said slowly and clearly.

"No you don't!" Jace repeated. Alec smiled and nodded before he slouched off, his shoulders hunched and defeated.

*

Magnus felt like everything that made him himself was just out of reach. He kept on reaching out, trying to grab it, but while he could get hold of some pieces, some were much harder to catch. At one point he felt someone touch his hand, a warm reminder that there was something outside of this strange nothingness he found himself in, but then there was nothingness again.

He felt like he was sifting through sand for shells and when he found them, he pulled them into himself greedily. Some of the shells were beautiful, their insides pearled and sparkling. When he returned those his appreciation of beauty, his loyalty, his care for his friends returned to him. 

But there were others too, dark and twisted, dark creatures inside them. The first one of those he had stuffed inside himself had reminded him of his vanity. The second his selfishness. The third his pettiness.

He began to grow wary of the darker shells, contemplating each of them carefully as they were placed within himself. He tried to push them down, towards the back, where they couldn't affect the shinier, happier surface of his being.

The final one he found was large, almost conchlike in shape, though it's darkened shell made it look like the talon of a long dead creature. When he touched it, he knew that this was part of him that he didn't want. He didn't want to touch it again, but he was certain that he wouldn't be able to become himself again without it.

He picked it up, staring at it for a while before he accepted it, pulling it into himself.

Bitterness. Fear. Loneliness. Heart-brokenness.

Memories flooded him. Of Camille, of Etta, of beautiful boys with blue eyes and dark hair, of one boy with blue eyes and dark hair and runes carved into his skin that glowed in the moonlight. Of pain, of anger, of love, of a hundred mundane emotions that made him who he was.

His eyes opened.

On his left, Catarina was asleep, her hand tightly clasped to his. On his left, still unconscious, was Ragnor. Magnus breathed a sigh of relief. Asmodeus was not here.

He felt for the curse.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf one was gone, though the Beauty and the Beast one had remained. His father hadn't managed to remove it before Catarina had managed to summon them from Asmodeus' lair. Although really, how had Catarina done that? She was powerful, but nowhere near powerful enough to-

"Oh, Magnus, you're awake."

He looked up to see Clary creeping into his room. She looked exhausted and he wondered what they had gone through in order to save him.

"Hello biscuit," he said and Clary smiled at him. She grabbed a blanket from the end of Magnus' bed and draped it around Catarina's shoulders.

"You had Alec worried sick," Clary said, her voice barely above a whisper. Magnus swallowed, though his mouth felt dry.

"Where is he?" He asked. Clary frowned.

"Jace said he was acting weird and went off with Maryse," she said, sitting down on a chair next to Catarina. Magnus carefully extricated his arm from Catarina's grip so that he could sit up.

"Acting weird?" He asked. Had Alec finally realised that a cursed warlock was truly a waste of his time?

"Yeah. Like, Jace said he kept on saying stupid, unbelievable stuff and-"

"Doesn't that sound familiar to you?" Magnus asked. He could barely move without everything aching, but it didn't matter. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "He went with Maryse you said?"

Clary nodded, clearly not understanding what Magnus had worked out. But Magnus knew all too well.

Alec's greatest fear, his Big Bad Wolf, was his parents knowing about his sexuality. He had no doubt what Alec was going to do to try to break the curse.

Alec was going to come out.

*

"Mother I have something important to tell you," Alec said. His mother regarded him with hard eyes.

"Is it to do with this warlock situation?" She asked. Alec nodded and raised his head, setting his shoulders back. It was better to say it now than never. He just had to say it. He just had to come out with the words.

"I have to tell you that the reason I'm helping Magnus is because-"

"He found out how many warlocks have died on the Lightwood family's watch."

Alec turned. Magnus was awake and alive and walking and talking and Alec found his breath stilled in his chest. Alec was certain it was probably all glamours, but his makeup was perfect, his hair spiked, his suit not even creased. He looked every inch the most powerful warlock in Brooklyn.

"Alec found out how your neglect of the Downworlders has led to distrust and political dissension to the point that a rebellion might truly be at hand in the near future. He sought to help us more directly in order to keep us on side. And a good first case is to help a particularly infamous warlock keep a curse at bay," Magnus said and Alec thought he sounded so convincing. But he had to undermine him. He wouldn't be able to break the curse unless he confronted the wolf and won.

"Mother, that's not entirely true. I helped Magnus because he's Magnus. Because he was, because he is, my friend," Alec said, and turned to Magnus to meet the other's eyes. Magnus was staring at him, his expression at once fond and full of admiration.

"Thank you Alec, but there are some things that are not your mother's business. I merely wished to keep the terms of this meeting purely-"

"Magnus, Alec, enough," Maryse said, standing up. She glanced between the two of them and then sighed.

"I think I know already why. Alec, I am your mother," she said softly, though she refused to look at him directly when she said it. "I won't make you say it. Not until you are truly ready."

Alec took a step back and his shoulder bumped into Magnus. He felt the warlock rest a hand on his shoulder. It was shaking.

"Be careful. Both of you. Do not let Robert find out. Your father... Will not tolerate it," Maryse said. Alec stared at her dumbly. Magnus removed his hand.

"The curse is gone," Magnus whispered. "You faced down your wolf."

"You're both dismissed," Maryse said, sitting back down behind her desk and starting to shuffle papers around. Alec turned to leave. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard his mother clear her throat pointedly.

"Magnus, if you do anything that hurts my eldest son, I will personally see to it that a bounty is placed on your head in every Institute between here and the China Sea. Do we understand each other?" Maryse asked. Alec saw Magnus still, his spine straightening.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. Alec didn't dare turn so he just opened the door, dashing out of it and closing it behind the two of them as quickly as he could. He sagged against it, his heart beating hard. Beside him, Magnus did the same, the glamours he wore dropping to reveal the disheveled warlock that Alec had carried from Doona's.

Alec suddenly found himself laughing. So hard, so fast he couldn't stop. He bent over double as Magnus stared at him like he'd gone insane.

" _ Yes ma'am _ ," Alec repeated in his best impression of Magnus' voice against his mother, his voice strangely high-pitched and wavering. "You sounded so terrified of her."

"Shut up Alec, your mother is intimidating," Magnus replied. "And I had no idea how to tell her I hadn't even officially  _ dated _ her son yet and she was already thinking we had the love affair of the cen-"

Alec cut off Magnus' rant with a kiss, his hands grabbing the back of the other's neck to hold him in place. Magnus surrendered to the kiss fairly easily. Alec pulled away, the taste of Magnus on his lips.

"Come on. We're both exhausted. Let's get some sleep," Alec said, taking Magnus' hand and pulling. Magnus looked at their joined hands.

"Why, Alexander, are you asking for us to sleep together because I must say that it's quite forward of you-"

Alec leaned forward and kissed him again, figuring that it was the best and most enjoyable way of silencing him.

"Shut up Magnus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Ne/Nir are genderless pronouns for Doona.
> 
> Manx (Gaelg), is a Celtic language from the [Isle of Man in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man). If you’re interested as to what it sounds like you can listen to it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N92tMYPHZ-A). The last native Manx speaker, Ned Maddrell died in 1974, though there has been a revival in recent years to try to keep the language alive. You can learn some Manx for free [here](http://www.learnmanx.com/%20).
> 
> **Next chapter:**
> 
> _"Listen, Magnus, I can't stay long. Not until we've finished tracking Asmodeus," Alec said. Magnus gave him a stern look._
> 
> _"Alec, it's a_ party _. You're supposed to relax," he said, putting a drink into Alec's hand that was rapidly changing color and throwing off small sparks. Alec looked down at it cautiously._
> 
> _"I know but my mother's pretty adamant about it. With all things considered, I don't want to piss her off," Alec said. Magnus was smiling at him and Alec knew that he understood._
> 
> _"Well then, I must insist that, as I am the host and you are the representative of an esteemed Shadowhunter clan, we must dance together at least once. For unity's sake," Magnus suggested and held out one carefully manicured hand. Alec took a gulp of his drink and set it down on the nearby table before sliding his hand into Magnus'._
> 
> _"One dance, Magnus," he promised. "Then I really gotta go."_
> 
> _"Whatever you say, pumpkin," Magnus replied, smirking. Alec rolled his eyes, not allowing his smile to show, but deep down something warm settled in his chest._


	12. Cinders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You plan for the worst while hoping for the best. I hope it doesn’t come back to bite you, my friend,” Ragnor replied. Magnus snapped his teeth at him causing Ragnor to roll his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to break this chapter into two! Saphael is getting it's own side-fic in this universe! Argh Sorry for late updates!

Magnus stared at the boot print on his wall. With a click of his fingers it could be gone, but he had a feeling he knew who had put it there. He had a feeling he knew the desperation that had led to the scuff and in a way, it warmed his heart a little.

 

Oh, he still had his misgivings about his and Alec’s relationship. With everything that was going on it was hard not to have some doubts, but he couldn’t deny that it had been a long time since he had felt this attached to someone else. Even if it was against his better judgment.

 

He turned away from it, viewing his reconstructed apartment with a critical eye. He’d managed to fix the damage his father had done pretty easily, but it had left him with the urge to redecorate. Eventually it had ended up with a full set of new furniture and he was still getting accustomed to it.

 

His eyes settled on the door to the Curse Room. Of course, it had been completely unaffected by his father’s destruction.

 

Thinking of his father, a chill went down his spine. He’d heard nothing of Asmodeus since he’d been rescued. He had expected retaliation, but had heard nothing. Magnus knew that Asmodeus hadn’t been successful in completely transferring the curse, but he also could not tell how much the curse had affected Alec. He didn’t know how to tell him that it might not have just been a one time occurrence.

 

Magnus poured himself a glass of wine. Hell, it was 5 o’clock somewhere in Asia, he was sure. He walked over to the Curse Room and scanned over the book’s contents. His stomach lurched when he saw a new curse had been added.

 

 _Cinderella_.

 

Magnus stared at it.

 

Well wasn’t that… odd? All the other curses had held an element of danger to him or to his friends, but Cinderella…? No one died in that, as far as he could remember. Cinderella and her prince lived happily ever after.

 

Magnus refused to even entertain the idea that he could be an Ugly Sister. He was _certainly_ not going to accept _that_.

 

The longer he thought about it, the more he realised it was truly a fantastic development. Prince Charming found his True Love at the ball. All he had to do was hold a party and the curse would provide him with the means to save himself.

 

It was perfect.

 

The only problem, Magnus realised, was if his True Love wasn’t Alec.

 

*

 

Alec’s fist collided with the punch bag. He felt the punch jar up his arm before he twisted, using the momentum to spin into a kick that sent the bag swinging away from him. He was about to deliver a final blow when he saw Jace was watching him, arms folded.

 

He raised his eyebrows, reaching out to steady the bag. Jace nodded and walked toward him. There was something in his expression that said what he had to say was serious. Alec had been part of enough serious conversations over the last few days to last him a life time, but this was _Jace_ and he couldn’t deny him the chance to speak if he needed to.

 

“You heard from Magnus?” Jace asked by way of greeting. Alec shook his head.

 

“Well, nothing about the curse anyway,” he corrected himself, starting to strip the padded gloves from his hand and unwrap his knuckles. Jace’s arms were still crossed, a defensive gesture that made Alec wonder what it was that he wanted to say.

 

“Did you guys… y’know, date yet?” He asked. Alec paused, tape half-peeled from his hand.

 

“No. Not yet,” Alec said. It was a niggling worry in the back of his mind that Magnus would back out of it. Magnus had cancelled their previous plans, citing the need to sort out his apartment and be sure that Asmodeus was done with them. Now it seemed like he was waiting for a reconfirmation of the date that would never come. Magnus’ flirtatious texts were the only thing preventing Alec from thinking it had all been a dream.

 

“But he stayed the night here?” Jace asked, and though he tone was light, Alec could tell what he was getting at. He felt his cheeks turn bright pink.

 

“He slept. On the couch. I wouldn’t… Not here,” Alec said, unable to even say it. Jace was staring him straight in the eyes and he had to force himself to look into his Parabatai’s golden gaze and not flinch.

 

“Alec… I’m worried that this is… I don’t know, man,” Jace finally slid his eyes away. Alec realised he was worried about hurting his feelings.

 

“Tell me,” Alec urged. Jace met his eyes once more.

 

“I’m worried that you’re going to get hurt. I’m worried that you feel more for Magnus than he ever could for you. He’s immortal. You’re not. And he has a reputation-”

 

“I know,” Alec replied. He mirrored Jace’s body language subconsciously, his own arms crossing over his bare chest. “I know that I might just be flavor of the month. I know that Magnus might not think of me the same way I think of him at all. But I do like him, Jace. I like him enough to give it a try.”

 

Jace nodded his head, still looking thoughtful.

 

“All right. I don’t want to interfere. But I don’t want you hurt, Alec, and that’s the only way I can see this going right now,” Jace said quietly. Alec reached out his hand and Jace immediately took it, clasping their hands between them.

 

“Thank you, Jace, but I’m fine,” he said. Jace squeezed his hand and said no more.

 

*

 

“A party? Well, how novel,” Ragnor said, holding up the invite and peering down at it. Magnus smiled and went to lounge on the couch. Ragnor was still reading the details. “I’m to assume that the fairy tale in question is Cinderella?”

 

“Why must you assume it’s a curse? Maybe I just wanted to have a party?” Magnus replied, pouting slightly. Ragnor turned to him, eyebrow raised.

 

“I am your oldest friend. I can tell a party that has your heart and soul behind it and one that you’re just throwing to go through the motions. I mean, this invite is just shoddy. The gold leaf and embossing are far from the quality I’d expect,” Ragnor said, tapping the invite with the back of his hand. Magnus leaned up to snatch it from Ragnor’s hand.

 

“It was created in a hurry,” he replied. Ragnor rolled his eyes and took a seat by the window, peering out into the late afternoon.

 

“You make no mention of Cinderella in the invite. I thought if you were to have a theme, you would go all out with it,” Ragnor mused. Magnus felt the Chairman skulking around the couch and reached down to pick him up, pulling him onto his lap and stroking him.

 

“I don’t want anyone meddling and messing things up,” Magnus said. “If people _know_ it’s Cinderella then they’re likely to be able to twist it and arrange it to their liking. If I have a chance of finding True Love and ending this curse sooner rather than later, I’m not going to do anything to jeopardise it.”

 

“And what about your Lightwood?” Ragnor asked, eyebrow raised. Magnus sighed.

 

“I will be inviting Alec, of course,” Magnus replied. Ragnor looked back out the window.

 

“You plan for the worst while hoping for the best. I hope it doesn’t come back to bite you, my friend,” Ragnor replied. Magnus snapped his teeth at him causing Ragnor to roll his eyes.

 

“Don’t be such a brat.”

 

*

 

Alec stared at his phone.

 

_Come to my apartment. I have something to give to you ;D_

 

Magnus didn’t seem distressed. It wasn’t a call about the curse. It was a social call. The winky face, Alec was sure, confirmed that. Magnus was inviting him over. And was going to give him something.

 

Alec’s face flooded with color when he thought about what that might mean.

 

He slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed his jacket, shrugging it on swiftly. He was almost at the door when it opened inwards, his mother stood there with a stern expression on her face.

 

“Mother,” he greeted her, hoping his expression didn’t look too flustered. Maryse looked him up and down before she stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

 

“Alec, we’ve been unable to confirm Asmodeus’ whereabouts. We don’t believe it’s possible he gave up this easily,” Maryse said. “I want you to personally oversee the mission to locate him.”

 

Alec nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”

 

“I can’t impress enough how important it is that this gets _done,_ Alec. You managed to implicate the Institute in this mess and it is now in all our best interests to make sure that we are not at risk from retribution. Or at least not until we manage to create an entire army of new Shadowhunters to fight him,” Maryse said, her arms folding over her chest. Alec nodded, a weight settling into his chest.

 

“I’ll make sure that we know exactly where Asmodeus is by the end of the day,” he promised. Maryse nodded at him before turning to walk out of the room.

 

Alec pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Magnus’ number. It rang a few times before Magnus answered.

 

“Hello, Magnus Bane, the sexiest of the High Warlocks and the glitteriest man in Brooklyn. How may I help you today?”

 

Alec couldn’t help but smile to himself, even though he knew he was calling with bad news.

 

“Magnus, I can’t make it. I’ve got some Shadowhunter business on my end,” he said. He realised he hadn’t introduced himself. “Er, it’s me, Alec.”

 

“Oh, I know your voice darling,” Magnus reassured him. Alec raised an eyebrow.

 

“Darling?” He repeated blankly. He heard Magnus chuckle.

 

“Don’t care for pet names, Alexander?” He asked. Alec already thought that ‘Alexander’ was enough of a pet name the way Magnus said it. In any case, he refused to be goaded into this conversation.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m going to have to be short. What did you want, Magnus?” He asked. He heard Magnus cluck his tongue.

 

“What if I just wanted to chat?” He asked. Alec sighed.

 

“I’m really busy-”

 

“It’s fine. I understand. I was calling to invite you to a party of mine tonight. As my date, of course,” Magnus cut him off smoothly. His voice was filled with so much confidence that Alec found himself agreeing before he even thought of the consequences.

 

“Sure, what time?” He asked. He could almost hear Magnus’ pleased smile.

 

“Oh, it’ll start around eight and run until the sun comes up I’m sure. Be aware, Alec, there is a dress code. Come dressed to impress,” Magnus warned. Alec looked down at himself. There was no way in hell he would be able to ‘dress to impress’. He needed Izzy’s help.

 

And he still had to track Asmodeus.

 

“Right. I’ll be there,” he promised, though he wasn’t sure how he was going to have time. “Thanks… for inviting me.”

 

“He is far too serious for you, Magnus. Alec, I am informing you here and now that you should not date this weasel and find someone far closer to your own age and temperament!”

 

Alec blinked.

 

“Magnus… do you have me on speaker phone? And was that Ragnor Fell?” He asked. There was the sound of clicking fingers and then a wail.

 

“Magnus, you undo that _instantly_ you absolute-”

 

“Have to go, sweetpea. See you at eight!”

 

Alec went to find Izzy. If nothing else, she would be able to get him ready for the night.

 

*

 

Raphael’s phone buzzed across the table. He’d been awake barely fifteen minutes and was barely functioning. In truth, the only reason he was awake before sundown was because Simon had snuck in… _again_.

 

It had become almost a habit, and though Raphael couldn’t quite work out the Mundane’s motive, he had to admit that it wasn’t as unwelcome as it might once have been. He had already been to confession and tried to absolve himself of the guilt he felt on that. A _good Catholic boy_ didn’t have those feelings for another male, but it really was no good.

 

It was another sin on top of a pile of them, but it was one he felt at least a little more okay with. Especially when Simon’s eyes slid over to him when the Mundane thought he wasn’t looking. Sometimes he thought he could see that Simon liked him in _that_ way too.

 

But then he remembered that Simon could easily become a subjugate or would age and die and leave him alone and that none of it was worth the risk.

 

“You gonna answer it?” Simon asked. Raphael snagged his phone from the table top with a groan and answered it.

 

“Raphael Santiago,” he said curtly.

 

“Ah, Raphael. Glad you’re awake already!”

 

“Bane,” Raphael groaned. Simon, who had been slowly shuffling a deck of cards for them to play Blackjack looked up, curiously. “Are you dying? Have you been attacked by a dragon? Have the fairies come and stolen all your clothes? Why are you calling me?”

 

Magnus chuckled. “Nothing so drastic, my friend. Ragnor merely wished for me to invite you to my party tonight. You know how he loves your company.”

 

“Party…” Raphael repeated dumbly. Simon was putting the cards down now, unashamedly listening into the conversation. “What party?”

 

“Oh, just a little gathering, y’know how it is,” Magnus replied. “You don’t see people for a few centuries and then you suddenly remember what good friends you were and you just _need_ to hold a reunion or-”

 

“Alright. Whatever. What time?” Raphael asked, glancing at his watch.

 

“Oh about eight should be fine. I’m sure it’ll rage all night,” Magnus replied breezily. “You can invite whatever well-behaved vampire you want. Apart from the obvious one who is _not_ to be invited, for obvious reasons, _obviously_.”

 

Magnus sounded ridiculously cheerful. Raphael grimaced. Hopefully cheer wasn’t contagious.

 

“Whatever, Magnus. See you after eight,” Raphael replied and hung up as fast as he could. He was about to make a scathing comment about how stupid Magnus’ parties always were when he saw it, a long-fingered, elegant hand landing on Simon’s head almost affectionately.

 

“Magnus is holding a party?”

 

Camille was virtually draped on Simon. Raphael saw the Mundane go very still, as his eyes widening as he realised that Camille was very much awake and almost on top of him.

 

“It seems that way, yes,” Raphael replied, but he was watching Camille carefully. It had been enough time for the vampire blood to have worn off in Simon’s system if Camille _did_ get a little bitey, but he didn’t want to take that chance.

 

He should have insisted that they meet at Taki’s instead of here. He should have been stronger about it.

 

“Well, it seems like I’m suddenly going out tonight,” Camille said, letting Simon go and walking around him. Simon had frozen like a rabbit in the headlamps and Raphael quickly moved to put himself between Camille and her prey. She gave him an amused glance.

 

“I don’t think you’re invited,” he pointed out. Camille gave him a sullen look.

 

“Oh, but Cinderella must go to the ball,” she replied and smiled, elongated teeth on display. Raphael ground his teeth. Of all the rotten timing.

 

Camille gave him a long, slow smirk. “Oh and Raphael, if you’re going to be keeping this Mundane around much longer, you should probably put a collar on him. Wouldn’t want anyone to think that he’s free for anyone to take a nibble on, would we?” She then slunk away.

 

Raphael watched her go, a sinking sensation in his gut.

 

“Raphael… what she just said… About Cinderella going to the ball. You don’t think…” Simon trailed off. His voice was still high-pitched from adrenaline, but Raphael could tell where his mind was going.

 

“You think it’s the curse?” Raphael asked. Simon nodded, his glasses slipping down his nose. Raphael realised that when Camille had been close to him, he’d started to sweat. It had been so long since Simon had been wary around him, he had forgotten that Simon had a healthy fear of vampires.

 

“If that’s the case, we had better go and run interference tonight,” Raphael said, getting to his feet and running a hand down the arm of his suit, assessing it for suitability for a party. Simon looked slightly pink.

 

“Er, _we_ ?” He repeated. Raphael cursed his slip of the tongue. He had just _assumed_ that Simon would be coming with him.

 

“Well, if you’d rather stay here?” Raphael asked, trying to backtrack. Simon was looking at him now with an expression that Raphael couldn’t read at all. He pretended to be concerned with straightening out his suit and hoped that Simon couldn’t tell he was flustered. He was lucky that his heart had long since stopped beating and so it couldn’t thud awkwardly in his chest.

 

“I’ll go… I’m going to need to borrow clothes though,” Simon said. Raphael glanced at him. Simon was watching him and he squared his shoulders back under that gaze.

 

“Ruin my jacket and I’ll ruin you,” he threatened. Simon gave him a grin.

 

“Promise, I’m not intending to do anything to your beloved jacket other than dance awkwardly in it,” Simon promised. Raphael felt his stomach clench a little at the thought, but shoved the feeling down. _Hard_.

 

“Right. Follow me,” he said, gesturing for Simon to follow him into a part of the Hotel DuMort that he had not been into yet. Simon followed, keeping close enough to Raphael’s back that he could almost feel the Mundane’s breath against his skin.

 

Finally they reached the room where Raphael usually ‘slept’. Simon seemed transfixed by the coffin in the center of the room, though Raphael ignored it. Instead he walked to his wardrobe, assessing what he had there and what might fit Simon.

 

“You know, it’s really gloomy in here,” Simon said. Raphael turned to him, eyebrow raised.

 

“You were expecting posters of One Direction and fairy lights?” He asked sarcastically. Simon rolled his eyes.

 

“No, but I was expecting some evidence that… that this place belonged to someone. It’s like an art exhibit. Doesn’t feel lived in,” Simon commented. Raphael forced down a surge of annoyance.

 

“Apologies that my room isn’t to your _liking_ . It’s not like _you_ have to live in it,” he snapped. Simon held up his hands in apology.

 

“It’s fine. I mean, not to my tastes, but if you like it, it’s fine I guess,” Simon rambled. Raphael turned back to the suits and found one made of a black faux-brocade that was perfect. He unhooked it, finding a matching black shirt and holding it out. Simon took it almost hesitantly.

 

“What is it with you Shadow World people and wearing head-to-toe black? Seems like Magnus is the only one who appreciates a bit of color,” Simon mused. Raphael growled and grabbed the black shirt back, shoving it into his closet and pulling out a shirt that was a deep teal instead.

 

“There, better?” He demanded. Simon smiled at him.

 

“Loads,” he said and before Raphael could turn away, Simon was already kicking off his shoes. Raphael knew he should look away, knew that he was testing every ounce of restraint he had if he watched this. Ever since he’d tasted Simon’s blood, he’d felt the obsession coming and going and now, in front of him, was something he had thought he would never see.

 

Simon was apparently oblivious as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. Simon was pale, his nerd-life clearly meaning he stayed out of the sun. He was skinny, not muscled. He looked weak, even though Raphael knew that there was a wiry strength to him that could catch a much stronger man unaware.

 

Simon turned to shrug on the shirt, starting to do up the buttons. It was then that Raphael heard it.

 

The whole time he thought that Simon had been doing everything innocently, unaware of the effect he had. But he caught the sound from across the room. The rapid thump of Simon’s heart. He could smell the blood racing around Simon’s body, rising to the skin slightly as the other blushed when he realised he was looking.

 

Simon hadn’t innocently thought he was getting changed in front of a friend.

 

He had done it _on purpose_ to _goad_ him.

 

Well, two could play at that game.

 

Raphael closed the distance between them faster than he knew Simon’s eyes could keep up with. Simon’s breath caught when he was close enough and Raphael reached out, finishing the last few buttons. He flicked out his own wrists, removing his own cufflinks before grasping Simon’s wrists, sliding them into the Mundane’s shirt.

 

Simon looked like he was about to combust.

 

Raphael let his tongue run along his lower lip and watched Simon’s eyes follow it.

 

So he wasn’t alone in this newfound attraction then.

 

He took a step back, walking to his dresser and opening the drawer to find some more cufflinks for himself. He could hear Simon breathing hard behind him. There was the sound of more fabric rustling, then the sound of a zipper.

 

Raphael didn’t turn. Instead he watched in the mirror until Simon was fully clothed and running a hand awkwardly through his hair. Clearly, his courage was all spent.

 

Well that was just fine.

 

There were rituals for everything. Even this. Despite the guilt, despite the niggling feeling that it was wrong, Raphael felt an excitement flutter down his spine.

 

“We have about twenty minutes until sundown. You should go get some fast food. You probably shouldn’t eat anything at Magnus’. Knowing you, you’ll accidentally eat fairy food,” Raphael said. Simon seemed still slightly spaced out, but he nodded. He began to walk to the door and he paused when he hand was on the doorknob.

 

“Can you walk me to the door? I don’t want to run into Camille again,” Simon said. Raphael nodded, walking to Simon’s side and putting a hand on the small of his back. The placement was completely appropriate but now that he was listening for it, he heard the way Simon’s pulse jumped at his touch.

 

“After you,” he said, opening the door and, with light pressure, leading Simon out.

 

*

 

Alec had weathered Izzy’s makeover with as much grace as it was possible to have. He was wearing a _suit_ . His shoes were shiny and pinched his feet in places that his comfortable boots would never have done. There was _product_ in his hair.

 

Isabelle had even insisted that he get a taxi to Magnus’ apartment instead of the subway to prevent his suit from getting too creased.

 

He could hear that the party was already going inside and he raised his chin. He climbed the rickety stairs and opened the door to Magnus’ apartment.

 

“Well, look who decided to turn up,” Magnus was loitering by the door, a drink in hand and a bright smile on his face. Alec felt a rush of happiness at the thought that Magnus had been waiting for him.

 

The whole place looked… magical. The decorations were white and silver and airy. The Downworlders that had been invited all held a touch of the ethereal that only added to the feel that this was something otherworldly.

 

Alec swallowed.

 

"Listen, Magnus, I can't stay long. Not until we've finished tracking Asmodeus," Alec said. Magnus gave him a stern look.

 

"Alec, it's a party. You're supposed to relax," he said, putting a drink into Alec's hand that was rapidly changing color and throwing off small sparks. Alec looked down at it cautiously.

 

"I know but my mother's pretty adamant about it. With all things considered, I don't want to piss her off," Alec said. Magnus was smiling at him and Alec knew that he understood.

 

"Well then, I must insist that, as I am the host and you are the representative of an esteemed Shadowhunter clan, we must dance together at least once. For unity's sake," Magnus suggested and held out one carefully manicured hand. Alec took a gulp of his drink and set it down on the nearby table before sliding his hand into Magnus'.

 

"One dance, Magnus," he promised. "Then I really gotta go."

 

"Whatever you say, pumpkin," Magnus replied, smirking. Alec rolled his eyes, not allowing his smile to show, but deep down something warm settled in his chest.

 

He was about to let himself be swept into Magnus’ arms when he heard the sound of a few hushed gasps, whispers and disapproving noises from around the room. He glanced over his shoulder and when he saw what they were talking about, all the happiness fled from him.

 

“Camille…” Magnus said, and he sounded like he’d had the breath knocked out of him. Alec watched as the vampire walked forward, glass slippers and beautiful white gown shimmering in the soft lights of the party.

 

She was beautiful.

 

All eyes were on her.

 

It hit Alec all at once what was happening. Something he'd feared since the Snow White kiss had failed to wake Magnus. That the curse would find another True Love tale that would take Magnus away from him.

 

Camille was here as part of the fairy tale curse.

 

And she was Cinderella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:  
>  _  
> Magnus realized in that moment that it didn't matter. None of it mattered because he was done for the moment Alec's face changed. The moment his lips parted into a silent 'oh', his brows creased together and his eyes fluttered closed. The rune on his neck stood out against the flush of his skin, his spine arched and Magnus knew in that moment. It didn't matter about the curse. It didn't matter if it killed him._
> 
> _He could not give up the chance to see this again._


	13. When the Clock Strikes Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t want to leave,” Alec confessed, his voice deep and low. Magnus bit his lip, nuzzling into Alec’s cheek with his own.
> 
> "If you stay, you know what’s going to happen, Alexander,” he warned. Alec drew back.
> 
> He looked like sheer perfection. His lips slightly swollen and wet, his eyes darkened with restrained desire, a flush of pink to his cheeks and neck.
> 
> “I know,” Alec said and then leaned forward again, capturing Magnus’ mouth in a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;D

“Magnus, it’s quite the gathering,” Camille said, toying with her hair around her finger. Magnus felt Alec’s hand slip out of his own and looked away from Camille in time to see Alec’s steeled gaze sliding down to the floor. He gritted his teeth.

 

“I don’t remember inviting you, Camille,” he bit out. Camille brushed her hair over her shoulder.

 

“I don’t remember Cinderella being personally invited to the ball. She turned up regardless though,” she replied. Magnus glared at her.

 

“Who told you that this was a Cinderella party?” He demanded. Camille’s carefully shaped eyebrow rose and she tilted her head to the side.

 

“So it’s true, then? The rumors of your curse? I wondered if it could possibly be true but I guess this confirms it. You are so lucky that I decided to come. Imagine if some other had taken the spot of Cinderella? That truly would have been a disaster in our love story,” Camille said, taking a step forward and trailing a finger down Magnus’ chest.

 

Magnus heard Alec’s shaky breath, loud enough to draw Camille’s attention.

 

“Oh and what’s this?” She asked, turning her attention to Alec. Magnus wanted to move in front of Alec, to protect him from Camille’s venom, but his feet felt rooted to the floor. “Oh, another _boy toy_ Magnus? Really? Well, I guess I can’t blame you for playing with these short-lived mortals seeing as I do so myself-”

 

“I am nothing like you. I do not _play_ with people,” Magnus cut her off. Alec was refusing to look at either of them and Magnus wished he could do _something_ to get Camille to _leave_.

 

“He looks so much like that Herondale you liked once… What was his name? Bill?” Camille looked Alec up and down. Magnus’ throat felt tight.

 

“You know his name was Will,” Magnus replied sourly.

 

“Ah yes. The same coloring, that dark hair and blue eyes that you always loved so much. I guess it’s a shame that Herondale only had eyes for Tessa. I guess you just weren’t his type. But these mortals are hardly worth playing with anyway,” Camille said and with a dismissive gesture she turned away from Alec.

 

It wasn’t like Alec to be silent like this.

 

“You know nothing about Will, Alec or myself in this matter, Camille,” he said firmly. “You only know the past, and a skewed, self-serving version of it at that.”

 

“Do you still have the ring, Magnus? The one you were going to promise me forever with-”

 

“Enough, Camille.”

 

That was Ragnor. Magnus had never been more grateful for Ragnor’s ability to project his voice clear across a room.

 

“If you cannot play nicely, I will insist that you not play at all. Go, get yourself a drink, mingle with whoever you want. Your time talking to the host is over,” Ragnor walked towards them, the tingle of magic around him saying it wasn’t an empty threat.

 

Camille glanced at him before rolling her eyes and stalking away towards the drinks table. Magnus’ shoulders sagged in relief. He felt Ragnor’s hand land on his shoulder.

 

“Go reassure your guests that this drama will not affect the party. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Lightwood,” Ragnor said, sotto voce. Magnus nodded and plastered on his party face, going to fuss over the DJ and trying to ignore Camille’s eyes on his back.

 

*

 

Alec reached down to loosen the laces of his shoes. They hurt like hell by now and he had nothing to change into. He sighed in relief as his feet were able to move a little more. Hurriedly he tucked the laces in. Perhaps he could blame the pain he felt on the goddamn shoes Izzy had made him wear rather than the very real possibility that his pseudo-relationship with Magnus would end that night.

 

“It will not help you to mope around here,” Ragnor seemed to appear from nowhere by his side, a drink in hand. His horns had glitter on them, no doubt Magnus’ intervention.

 

“I’m not moping,” Alec lied, though his eyes were following Magnus around the room. He had come here as Magnus’ _date_. It was their _first_ date. And it had ended up like _this_.

 

“Tell me, Lightwood, why Magnus Bane? Going through a rebellious stage?” Ragnor asked. Alec dragged his eyes away from Magnus and gave Ragnor a cold look.

 

“I don’t feel the need to explain myself to you. The only people who should care about this are me and Magnus,” he said. He already felt raw from what Camille had said, doubts and fears all but confirmed from her mouth. He didn’t need Ragnor compounding everything.

 

“I imagine the Clave feels differently about that,” Ragnor replied, his voice light. Alec scowled.

 

“I don’t care what the Clave thinks,” he said, and he knew he sounded petulant, like a child reacting purely out of spite. He grabbed his drink from the nearby table, throwing it down his neck barely tasting it. If he was lucky, he thought, he’d turn into a frog or something and be able to escape this hell.

 

“I’m pretty sure that is a lie,” Ragnor replied, eyebrow raised.

 

“What do you want Ragnor? Have you come to bait me?” Alec finally snapped, not sure why he was having to explain himself to Ragnor at all.

 

“No. I have not. I’m sure by now you know what fairytale this is though,” Ragnor gave him a long look and Alec twirled his empty glass in his hand for something to do.

 

“Cinderella. Even Shadowhunters know this one,” he replied and he hoped his voice didn’t sound as sullen as he thought it did.

 

“Indeed. And it must be clear to you that you are not Cinders herself,” Ragnor continued. Alec’s hand clenched around the stem of the glass before he set it down, aware that if he clenched it more tightly it would no doubt shatter.

 

“Say what you have to say Ragnor,” he said, trying to keep calm. It wasn’t Ragnor’s fault that all these things were true. Just as it wasn’t Magnus’ fault that Alec wasn’t his True Love. Alec had just thought that he would be able to ignore the truth a little longer.

 

“Camille and Magnus have a long history, but can I say it’s True Love? I don’t think so. Yet here she is, fulfilling every part of the story. If it saves my friend’s life then I can only ask that, despite your feelings for Magnus, you step aside,” Ragnor said. His eyes did not look unkind. It was obviously not said out of spite. He clearly did think that he was doing the right thing.

 

“Save his life? And isn’t it up to Magnus to choose who he wants to be with?” Alec asked. He knew it was stubborn, that he was potentially in the wrong, that he was getting in the way of what might be the great love story of Magnus’ life, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“Magnus has never been known to make good choices when it comes to love,” Ragnor replied. Alec shook his head, trying to dislodge the conflicting, confusing thoughts that were swirling around there like a maelstrom.

 

“I won’t be bullied by you. This is for me and Magnus to discuss,” he said firmly.

 

“Oh look, they’re dancing,” Ragnor’s voice was light, but when Alec followed his gaze something hot and squirming slid into his stomach. His palms tingled. His spine straightened. He felt sick, his throat tight, his chest felt compressed.

 

Magnus looked stiff, but he hadn’t turned Camille down. He could see the way their hands grasped, could see Magnus’ painted nails against the white of her dress. Magnus’ footing was sure and Camille moved with a grace that completely inhuman. They twirled and Camille’s eyes never left Magnus’ face.

 

Alec turned away. He had to get out of there. He had to leave. Now.

 

“Oh are you leaving? And here I thought you were so determined to let it be _Magnus’_ decision,” Ragnor called but Alec ignored him.

 

He got to the door in a few strides, yanking it open. He began to bound down the stairs, taking as many as he could at a time. The stairs were old though, and the wood didn’t give the surest footing. He misjudged a step, stumbling. His shoe, loosened from the blisters earlier, slipped off his foot as he rolled down the last few steps.

 

He sat there at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, trying to bury the physical and emotional pain, until he felt he wouldn’t burst into tears. He limped back up the stairs, grabbing his shoe and shoving it back onto his foot before limping outside.

 

*

 

“The person who was obviously not invited is very clearly _here_ ,” Magnus hissed, leaning against the wall beside Raphael, his brows drawn into a frown. Raphael looked at Camille who was laughing at something another vampire said, and then back to Magnus.

 

“She overheard me. There’s nothing I can do about that,” he replied. He’d sent Simon off to get a drink and he wished he had thought to skulk off himself. He didn’t like the feeling that he’d failed Magnus, not since he owed him so much.

 

“I shouldn’t have invited you at all. If Ragnor wasn’t so fond of you-”

 

“Cut the crap, Magnus. You wanted me here,” Raphael interrupted him. Magnus gave him a fond, slightly exasperated smile.

 

“Yes, for all the good it’s done me,” he replied wistfully. Raphael knew that Magnus was looking at Camille from the way his expression changed. Nostalgia weighing with anger, guilt, heartbreak, stoicism. It was a complicated look, one that made Raphael feel even more uncomfortable.

 

“Look, I’m sorry about Camille, but there’s nothing I could do about it,” he apologised. Magnus sighed.

 

“A warning phone call would have been nice,” Magnus said and he tore his eyes away from Camille, running a hand through his made-up hair.

 

“Yeah, well, I had my hands full,” Raphael replied. Magnus gave him a wide smile.

 

“How is Simon by the way?” He asked, his eyes glinting a little. Raphael felt his spine straighten. How did Magnus even pick up on these things so quickly?

 

“Shut up, Magnus,” he said. Magnus’ grin just became wider.

 

“Does your undead heart flutter when he walks into the room?” Magnus asked with faux-drama. Raphael bared his teeth, an empty threat, and Magnus knew it.

 

“I’m not talking to you about this,” he snarled. At that moment, Simon was suddenly there, a drink in hand and bright grin on his face. Magnus looked him up and down and if it were possible for someone’s face to become entirely smirk, Magnus would have managed it. He clearly recognised the suit as one of Raphael’s.

 

“Hey guys. Great party Magnus. Just checking, this drink _won’t_ turn me into anything weird right?” Simon asked, holding up the tall glass and squinting at it suspiciously.

 

“That one’s safe,” Raphael said after sniffing it. Simon smiled and raised the glass to his lips, taking a sip and then immediately pulling a face.

 

“Yeugh! Tastes like pure vodka,” he said, holding the glass away from him and coughing slightly. Raphael reached out, taking it from his hand and sipping it himself.

 

“That’s because it _is_ pure vodka,” he replied. Simon didn’t try to retrieve the drink, so Raphael knocked the rest of it back. It was probably for the best that the Mundane didn’t get wasted at Magnus’ party anyway.

 

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you drink alcohol, Raphael. Need a bit of Dutch courage?” Magnus asked. Raphael turned to Magnus, taking his hand and putting the empty glass in it.

 

“You know, I swear I saw your pet Shadowhunter leaving when you danced with Camille,” he replied. Magnus’ eyes narrowed.

 

“Alec was here?” Simon asked, glancing around as though he would see him, even though Raphael had said that he’d already left.

 

“Alec had things to do tonight,” Magnus said, but his voice sounded tight.

 

“Oh strange. He came all the way to a party, dressed to the nines, and he just skips out when you decide to get cosy with your ex. Sounds like he’s completely okay with everything,” Raphael replied sarcastically. Simon was looking between the two of them as though unsure whether or not he should intervene.

 

“Bite me,” Magnus snapped.

 

“You’d taste foul,” Raphael smirked at him. Magnus, seeming to realise he couldn’t win this particular battle turned his attention towards Simon.

 

“So, Simon, seen anyone who catches your eye?” He asked.

 

“Huh? Oh no I’m not really looking,” Simon replied, though there was the slightest trace of a blush on his cheeks that indicated it wasn’t the entire truth.

 

“”Oh but you must dance at least once at a party. There must be someone…” Magnus prompted. Raphael wished he’d kept his mouth shut. He did _not_ want to be the Alec Lightwood of his own situation.

 

“I, er, you know what, I’m happy just drinking my drink and avoiding the eye of most of the people here,” Simon said, holding up his hands as if to say ‘no thank you’. Seeming to know that he’d been defeated, Magnus just smiled at Simon.

 

“Well, the two of you have a lovely evening. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he warned. Raphael scoffed.

 

“That leaves a hell of a lot of options,” he snarked. Magnus’ returning smile was downright dirty.

 

“Exactly.”

 

*

 

Alec sat down on the step, putting his head in his hands.

 

“ _Fastyr mie_ , Alec.”

 

Alec looked up, surprised. He saw the deep black eyes and long blond hair and immediately recognised nir has Doona.

 

“What are you doing here?” He asked, getting to his feet. Doona reached up a hand to pat him on the cheek.

 

“I have been tracking the curse’s effect on you since you left my home. I sensed something disturbing it tonight. I wanted to be sure that everything was all right,” Doona said, nir black eyes strangely comforting. Alec realised he was trembling under nir hand.

 

“Disturbing it?” He asked. Doona looked up at the house.

 

“It’s not too bad. It just feels like… You know when a language has been translated badly? All of the correct words but none of the emotion of the original? I don’t know how else to explain it,” ne said. Alec thought he could understand that, even though he had no idea about how that would relate to magic.

 

“Do you think it is because we share the curse now?” He asked. He was curious as to how the curse would affect them both, though no one had been able to shed any light on it yet.

 

“Possibly. Though I can’t say. What curse is it?” Doona asked, returning nir gaze back to Alec. Ne slowly lowered nirself down, sitting beside Alec and sweeping nir long blond hair over nir shoulder.

 

“Cinderella,” Alec replied and was proud that his voice didn’t crack.

 

“If I might be so forward, why aren’t you inside, wooing your prince?” Doona asked. Alec clenched his fists and stared down at his feet. His shoelaces were neatly tied now, comfort be damned.

 

“Because someone in there has already claimed the role of Cinderella,” he replied. Doona rested a hand on his shoulder.

 

“I see why you are outside moping,” ne said. Alec sighed.

 

“I am not moping,” he repeated for the second time that night. Why did everyone think he was moping? It wasn’t like Magnus had promised him anything other than a date. It wasn’t like Magnus had ever done anything more than flirt with him and...

 

“If you say so. Even so, if you do not fight for it, you may as well have not have started it,” Doona warned. Alec swallowed, trying to think of something he could say to that, but unable to.

 

The bells from a distant church began to toll.

 

“It’s midnight,” Doona announced, nir eyes going back up to the house. Alec lowered his head to his knees.

 

He heard her coming down the stairs. The fire escape, not the main staircase for whatever reason. He heard the sound of a pause, then the sound of one shoe, one barefoot as she crept away, fulfilling every part of the curse as she was supposed to.

 

“Camille would flee at midnight,” Alec said, finally raising his head when the last toll sounded and Camille was definitely gone. Doona’s eyes were narrowed in the direction of the fire escape and ne got to her feet.

 

“What is she doing here?” Ne asked.

 

“I told you, there was already a Cinderella,” Alec replied and felt a heavy stone-like feeling in his gut. Doona turned back to face him, something in nir face fiery and alive.

 

“That’s… beside the point. Alexander Lightwood. I will give you advice, advice that John once gave me: A Mundane life is short, it is over in the blink of an immortal’s eye, but that doesn’t mean the time spent together was meaningless,” ne said, grasping Alec’s hands and pulling him up with surprising strength.

 

“Will that make things easier for you, when John dies?” Alec asked, aware that he was out of line, aware that he sounded bitter, tired, _old_.

 

“I could have chosen immortals. I could have been with them instead. But I chose to let John in, despite the fact I knew that one day I would have to continue my life without him. It will not be easy, but every day I choose John, thinning hair and expanding waistline, age spots and spectacles, wrinkles and bladder troubles. I do not regret a moment, and I never shall regret the gift he gave me of his life,” Doona said and Alec couldn’t help but believe nir. That ne would love John.

 

If he could believe Doona was capable of it, surely he could believe it of Magnus?

 

“Was it more meaningful for you, than the time spent with immortals such as yourself?” He asked, curious.

 

“There was no meaning before John,” Doona said, nir voice flat, the passion rescinded.

 

“And after he’s gone?” Alec pressed.

 

“His life taught me more than I ever learned from another immortal. My life has been enriched for having him in it,” Doona’s tone left no question that the topic had to be dropped.

 

“Thank you High Warlock Doona,” Alec said formally. Doona nodded and scratched at nir head where Alec knew the antlers rose from nir skull.

 

“You’re welcome Lightwood. Now I must leave. If it is midnight, the curse is over and it appears neither you nor Magnus came to harm tonight,” ne said. Alec wondered if that were truly the only reason Doona had transported nirself all the way from the Isle of Man, but he didn’t dare ask.

 

“If you ever need to talk about such things… I will be available to you,” Doona said, resting a hand on his shoulder. Alec smiled, what felt like the first real smile he’d had since Camille’s entrance hours before.

 

“I’d like to meet John some time,” he said. Doona’s expression clouded.

 

“It isn’t possible right now. But if someday it is, we will be glad to welcome you into our home,” ne promised. Alec didn’t ask nir to elaborate, he was certain that ne wouldn’t give a straight answer anyway. Instead he watched as Doona crossed the street, walking hurriedly in the direction of Harlem.

 

Interesting but not his main concern right now.

 

*

 

Magnus waved out Ragnor with a sigh. 3am and his apartment looked like a whirlwind had passed through it again. He clicked his fingers, banishing the trash to the dump tiredly.

 

Camille had left at midnight.

 

He had not chased after her.

 

He didn’t even bother to check the curse book before sinking into his couch. He stared at the ceiling.

 

That had not gone as he’d envisioned.

 

It rankled that he had been caught and manipulated even though he’d been so careful. Not only that, he was almost certain that he had hurt Alec even though he wasn’t sure what else he could have done.

 

He’d had to dance with Camille, as awkward as it had been. With the curse so clearly showing she was Cinderella, he hadn’t wanted to find out what happened if the Prince didn’t dance with the Princess. He had fulfilled the word of the curse, if not the spirit, and that was enough, wasn’t it?

 

He heard the door open and the sound of someone kicking off their shoes.

 

“Couldn’t find a cab, Ragnor?” He called. There was silence for a moment and then the sound of socked feet on his hard wood floor. He lowered his gaze to see Alec stood there. In his hand was a shimmering glass slipper.

 

“Camille left this for you,” Alec said, holding it out. Magnus felt frozen to the couch. Alec had… come back?

 

Magnus could only think that it was to end this thing between them before it had even really begun.

 

“Well, I guess I should call for the King’s riders to go and find the beautiful princess it belongs to,” Magnus replied, trying to hide his discomfort with the entire situation behind his usual sarcasm. Alec walked further inside the room, putting the slipper on the coffee table in front of Magnus.

 

It reflected the low light of the room like an accusation.

 

“You and Camille used to be together, right?” Alec asked. Magnus wished Alec wasn’t so tall. It left him at a disadvantage, craning his neck from where he was sat, but he didn’t want to stand up and look defensive instead.

 

“About a century ago, yes. I was planning to marry her,” Magnus confessed. Alec’s blue eyes didn’t waver from his face and, for all the times Magnus had wanted Alec to look his way, he wished now that Alec would look anywhere but at him.

 

“It was serious then,” Alec concluded. Magnus couldn’t take it any longer. He turned his face away, looking anywhere but at Alec, anywhere but at that goddamned slipper.

 

“She left me for a mortal. Ran away on the night I was to ask her and without a thought to my feelings. Myself and Camille ended that day. We have been nothing to each other since,” Magnus said and he hoped he sounded convincing. The truth was, Camille stirred so many negative emotions in him that he still couldn’t sound unaffected when he spoke of her.

 

“Didn’t look like nothing, Magnus,” Alec said and he sounded tired. Far more tired than staying up until 3am should have made him sound.

 

“What do you want to say, Alec?” Magnus asked. If he was about to be told that he and Alec weren’t going to get to a second date (did this even count as a first?), he would rather Alec just got it over with.

 

“I have to know if I’m wasting my time, Magnus,” Alec said finally. “I need to know if… If you feel anything for me.”

 

Magnus met Alec’s eyes once more. He could see it there, laid open for him to see. He could see the fear. He could see the hope. He could see the dawning realisation that Magnus’ immortality would always be a point of contention. He could see the way Alec met the impossibility of their situation - curse and psychotic ex-girlfriends and homophobic Clave - and faced it head on. He could see the stubbornness that made Alexander Lightwood strong.

 

And he wanted that strength. He wanted to protect it. He wanted to shelter in it. He wanted more than anything to tell Alexander that it would all be okay.

 

Curse be damned.

 

Magnus was on his feet before he realised it. It was a few short strides to where Alec stood. He reached up, his fingers tracing along Alec’s cheekbone, down his jaw. The whole time, Alec didn’t look away from his eyes, searching for the answer that Magnus didn’t know how to vocalise.

 

He leaned forward. He could feel Alec’s breath against his lips, hot and quick. His eyes closed as he leaned forward, a soft brush of lips against Alec’s own. He pulled away a little, but Alec followed him, tilting his head to capture Magnus’ lips again.

 

Magnus felt Alec’s arms wrap around him, too tight to be anything but possessive even as gentle as the other’s mouth was against his own. Magnus parted his lips and Alec, ever a fast study, ran the tip of his tongue delicately over Magnus’ lower lip.

 

Magnus brought his own hands around Alec’s neck, holding him close with almost the same desperation Alec held him. He could feel the Shadowhunter’s heart thudding in his chest, could hear the shuddering gasps he took between kisses.

 

Finally Alec turned his face away, breaking the kiss. He pressed his cheek against Magnus’ own. Magnus felt his eyelashes flutter as he opened his eyes.

 

“I don’t want to leave,” Alec confessed, his voice deep and low. Magnus bit his lip, nuzzling into Alec’s cheek with his own.

 

“If you stay, you know what’s going to happen, Alexander,” he warned. Alec drew back.

 

He looked like sheer perfection. His lips slightly swollen and wet, his eyes darkened with restrained desire, a flush of pink to his cheeks and neck.

 

“I know,” Alec said and then leaned forward again, capturing Magnus’ mouth in a kiss. Magnus couldn’t fight it, didn’t want to. He had to trust Alec to make his own choices, had to trust him to understand the complex playing field that they were on.

 

A sharp voice in the back of Magnus’ mind reminded him that Alec couldn’t possibly understand as Magnus had never told him the truth about the curse, but Magnus shushed it, shoving his hands into Alec’s hair and clutching him almost frantically closer.

 

Alec responded by awkwardly shuffling them backwards until the couch was against the back of Magnus’ knees. Magnus felt his balance go from under him, but Alec’s strength in his arms meant instead of falling in a haphazard heap, he was lowered gently.

 

Alec didn’t waste any time, crawling onto his lap, straddling him and drawing him into another kiss. Magnus pulled at Alec’s shirt, pulling it from where it had been neatly tucked into his pants and sliding his hands beneath it.

 

Soft skin marred with rough scars met his fingertips. He trailed over them one by one, dragging nails over the soft skin and ridges alike. A reminder that Alec was far from powerless, far from just a boy experiencing his first crush, but a Shadowhunter, seasoned and proud.

 

Alec’s hands slid up Magnus’ clothed chest and Magnus felt his collar loosen as Alec unhooked the first button. Alec’s lips trailed off the side of his mouth, across his cheek in featherlight kisses and then down Magnus’ neck.

 

With each button that Alec popped open, the kisses trailed lower and lower until Alec had undone the whole shirt. Magnus sat up, trusting Alec to keep his balance as he shrugged himself out of his shirt. Alec’s gaze didn’t leave his face until he was done.

 

When Alec looked down, Magnus watched his face closely. Any sign of disgust and he knew he would have to stop things. But even though Alec reached out and touched the smooth skin where a belly button should have been, he barely so much as blinked at it’s absence. Instead, Alec ran fingertips over the faint lines of Magnus’ abdominal muscles, like an artist who finally got to touch the Statue of David.

 

Magnus almost lunged for him after that, pulling him into a kiss so fierce that it left him gasping for breath. He almost tore the shirt from Alec’s shoulders in his eagerness to get it off. Alec groaned against him, pulling at the cuffs to try to help Magnus get it off.

 

“Damn cufflinks,” Alec hissed. “Wouldn’t have had this problem if I’d been wearing a t-shirt.”

 

“You could have showed up in a onesie, you’d still have been the most amazing person in the room tonight,” Magnus replied, finally freeing Alec’s hands. Alec cupped his face, kissing him firmly.

 

Magnus made a note that Alec _really_ liked being complimented.

 

Then his thoughts scattered.

 

Alec rolled his hips and pressed down onto Magnus’ crotch. Magnus moaned, his hands finding Alec’s hips and encouraging him to do it again. Alec’s kisses were growing sloppy, distracted, as their bodies pressed against each other.

 

Magnus could feel his skin tingling. The friction of his clothes against his skin, of the pressure against a part of him that he wanted nothing more than to be buried inside Alec right now, was almost too much.

 

“Alec, I need you to be naked. Now,” he whispered. Alec’s hands quickly moved, going to his belt and sliding it out of the belt loops. It fell to the floor with a thud. The clasp was pulled apart. The sound of the zipper lowering.

 

Magnus broke the kiss to watch as Alec slid off his lap. Alec didn’t tease, instead he just let the pants slide down his legs. He reached down to remove his socks, and then finally his thumbs dug into the waistband of his boxers.

 

It was there that Magnus saw the first sign of hesitancy on Alec’s part. The first time it seemed to cross Alec’s mind that it was really _happening_.

 

“You just have to say the word, Alec, and we can stop. At any time,” Magnus reassured him, reaching out to put his hand over Alec’s. He saw Alec’s eyes half-close and then Alec brushed his hand away, removing the last barrier of clothing.

 

Magnus held Alec’s gaze for a moment, making sure that he was truly okay, before he let his gaze wander downward. Alec’s cock was hard, standing out from his body with all the vitality of youth. Magnus leaned forward, aware that Alec was watching his every movement.

 

“Alec, I’m going to suck your dick. So if you don’t want this, you had better say now,” Magnus warned. Alec let out a low chuckle.

 

“Are you asking me to turn down my first blowjob?” He asked. Magnus looked up at him and saw the desire, the affection, the amusement in Alec’s face. He gave him a grin.

 

“I hope that you’re ready for this. I give world-class head,” Magnus replied glibly. He didn’t bother to wait for a response before he leaned in and dragged his lips against the tip of Alec’s cock. Alec let out a startled gasp and Magnus smirked.

 

He cupped Alec’s erection with his hand, running his nose up the underneath before following the same path with his tongue. Alec let out a whimper and when Magnus looked to the side he could see Alec’s hands were fisted so tightly by his sides that they were shaking.

 

He pressed a wet, open mouthed kiss against the slit, licking salty pre-cum from his lips after. Alec’s breathing was ragged and he seemed almost on the verge of words but like he couldn’t gather himself enough to get them out.

 

Magnus opened his mouth and took the tip into his mouth.

 

“Fuck!”

 

Alec’s hands went to his head and Magnus hummed as they threaded into his hair. Alec seemed aware he couldn’t pull or twist, despite how frantic he had become. Magnus began to move up and down Alec’s length, sweeping his tongue out and tasting him.

 

Alec’s voice had gone. He merely moaned incoherently, words on the tip of his tongue seemingly chased away by Magnus’s mouth.

 

Magnus was enjoying himself. It had been so long since he’d had this kind of contact with anyone. Since he’d felt the weight of someone against his tongue, since he’d felt someone at the back of his throat, since he’d tasted someone’s need from his lips.

 

He pulled off Alec’s cock, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. Alec looked down at him, expression dazed, more naked and bare than the removal of his clothes. Magnus felt something in his heart stir, something deep within him that had been locked away for a long time.

 

“Magnus, what-” Alec managed to get out but Magnus grabbed him by the hips, guiding him to the couch and forcing him to sit down. Alec was barely seated before Magnus was standing up, shedding his own clothes efficiently and settling himself on Alec’s lap.

 

“Complaints?” Magnus checked. Alec shook his head vehemently and Magnus smirked when Alec’s gaze shyly darted down to his cock. Magnus picked up Alec’s hand that had been resting on his thigh and threaded their fingers together before guiding it between his legs.

 

Alec’s hand on his length was exquisite. An archer to the core, there were calluses along his fingertips and palms that added a strange friction that Magnus had never thought could feel good but added a sense of realism to the proceedings. His rings were cold compared to Alec’s hot palm and he shuddered.

 

With his free hand he clicked his fingers, creating the wetness he knew they were going to need to go further. He reached behind himself, slowly circling his entrance until he was relaxed enough to push the first of his fingers in.

 

He heard Alec’s breath catch and looked down at the Shadowhunter. Alec’s hair was plastered to his forehead, but beneath it his brilliant blue eyes were fixed on Magnus’ face. Magnus, ever pleased to put on a show, parted his lips, letting out a low guttural moan as his hips began to rock backwards and forwards.

 

Between their entwined hands and his own fingers slowly working himself open, Magnus had to admit he was pretty much in heaven. He could feel his thighs trembling. Alec’s hand tightened ever so slightly around him and he let out a gasp, hunching over and resting his forehead against Alec’s own.

 

“Careful, there, Alexander. We don’t want the show to be over too soon,” he forced out. Alec let out a moan that Magnus thought was agreement.

 

Magnus decided it was time. Even if he could have prepared himself better, he was too impatient. He _wanted_ Alec. He wanted him buried inside him. He wanted to feel the way Alec’s body would shudder as he lowered himself onto his cock. He wanted to see the way Alec’s eyes closed when he tightened his muscles to squeeze him. He wanted to see the way Alec bit his lip to hold back cries that would eventually struggle free.

 

“Alec. Do you want to-”

 

“Yes,” Alec cut him off. “I want to.”

 

Magnus didn’t need telling again. He freed his hand from his own dick, reaching behind him to take Alec’s erection in hand. He lined it up to his entrance and then slowly moved his hips back onto it. For a moment, it felt like it wouldn’t fit and Magnus exhaled deeply, forcing his muscles to relax.

 

Then there was the burn as Alec pushed inside him, slowly, steadily, until Magnus was seated flush against Alec’s lap.

 

Magnus kept his eyes on Alec’s face, absorbing every shiver, every sharp breath, every twitch. Alec’s eyes had closed but they flew open when Magnus brought his hips up, sliding a few inches up Alec’s length before slowly, agonisingly moving down again.

 

“Magnus-” Alec said but whatever else he wanted to say was just an incoherent moan. Magnus tilted his hips a little and tried again. This time he felt Alec’s cock brush against his prostate and he let out a cry of his own, his muscles trembling as his cock jumped against Alec’s stomach.

 

He began to move more steadily, crushing his mouth against Alec’s to drink in every moan that passed through the Shadowhunter’s lips. He gripped onto the other’s shoulders as he ground his body down, over and over again.

 

Alec’s hands were resting on his thighs again, stroking up and down over the quivering muscles there. Magnus could tell they were shaking, that Alec was holding himself back, controlling himself even now. He felt a surge of affection so strong that he nearly stopped moving just to bask in it.

 

The position meant that everything was slow. A build up that lasted for what felt like hours. Magnus could feel the heat spreading through his whole body, warm and tingling. It felt like he’d been on the edge of orgasm for hours, even though he knew that probably wasn’t the case.

 

It wasn’t like any sex he’d ever had. He had never felt this connected to someone during a sexual act, never felt like he could keep going forever just to hear one more moan, one more gasp, one more stuttered iteration of his name.

 

What was this connection? What did it mean for him? What did it mean for the curse?

 

Magnus realized in that moment that it didn't matter. None of it mattered because he was done for the moment Alec's face changed. The moment his lips parted into a silent 'oh', his brows creased together and his eyes fluttered closed. The rune on his neck stood out against the flush of his skin, his spine arched and Magnus knew in that moment. The curse could go screw itself. It didn't matter if it killed him.

He could not give up the chance to see this again.

 

Alec buried his face in Magnus’ neck the moment his orgasm was done, breathing harshly. Magnus reached down, barely stroking his cock twice before he was spilling against Alec’s stomach, climaxing so powerfully that if Alec’s strong arms hadn’t held him up, he was sure that he would have fallen backwards from the couch.

 

For a moment they sat there, clutching each other, before Magnus shifted. Alec’s cock slowly slid from his body. Magnus waved his hand impatiently to take care of the mess they had made of each other and clicked his fingers again to conjure the blanket from his bedroom.

 

“Magnus that was…” Alec finally stirred when Magnus began to roll the blanket around his shoulders. Magnus looked down at his flushed face, at the unadulterated affection shining from Alec’s smile, and couldn’t stop himself kissing him one more time.

 

“Incredible I think is the word you’re looking for, Alexander. You are quite lucky to have had your first time with someone as amazing as myself,” he said when he pulled away. Alec rolled his eyes, but the pleased smile on his lips wouldn’t die.

 

“Are we going to sleep here?” Alec asked, one hand moving from around Magnus’ waist to pluck at the blanket.

 

“I’m too tired to be bothered to go to my bed,” Magnus replied, yawning and stretching. Alec’s eyes slid down his body before the Shadowhunter’s smile morphed into a smirk.

 

“There’s one thing that Shadowhunters have over Warlocks, I guess. Stamina runes,” he said, tapping a rune on his side. Magnus barely had a moment to respond before he was being lifted. Alec’s hands under his ass, holding him in place as he carried them to the bedroom.

 

“Well, well, well, I’ve awakened a monster it seems,” Magnus said as Alec laid him down on the bed. Alec laughed.

 

“It’s alright Grandpa. You can have a nap before round two,” Alec promised, pulling back the sheets and sliding between them. Magnus crawled inside too until he was pressed against the length of Alec’s body.

 

“You young whippersnappers have no idea what it’s like to be four hundred years old,” Magnus grumbled, though he had to admit, he was excited by the prospect of waking up in the morning and doing it all again.

 

“Go to sleep, Magnus,” Alec said and pressed a kiss to the top of Magnus’ head.

 

Magnus closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath of the scent of Alec’s skin before he fell asleep.

 

*

 

Magnus awoke alone. After a moment of disorientation, followed by a sickening jilted feeling, he noticed the note on his bedstand.

 

The writing was looping and considered. The writing of someone who was a perfectionist in almost every area of their life.

 

_Magnus,_

 

_Unfortunately, I didn’t actually manage to track Asmodeus like I promised the Institute and my mother caught wind of me playing hooky. I’ve had to go back to the Institute and play dutiful son. Call me later, okay?_

 

_Alec_

 

Magnus ran his fingers over his own name. The way Alec had written it, with such extreme care, the loop on the ‘g’, the smooth lines of the ‘M’. He carefully folded the note and put it in his bedside drawer before stretching happily.

 

His body certainly felt like he’d got a good workout the night before. He smirked to himself and threw on his pyjamas before slinking off to the kitchen to find coffee.

 

He was halfway through making himself a cup when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He was about to unleash all kinds of chaos on the intruder when he realised it was Ragnor.

 

“Someone’s out of it this morning. Didn’t you hear me hanging on the door? Which was unlocked by the way,” Ragnor asked, sitting himself down at the coffee table. Magnus sighed and got another mug from the cupboard to pour a second cup for Ragnor.

 

“Sorry. I was out of it,” Magnus apologised. Ragnor was studying him carefully.

 

“You are _happy_ ,” Ragnor said, frowning slightly. “Whatever you’ve done, I disapprove.”

 

“What I’ve _done_ is none of your business,” Magnus replied primly, adding the ungodly amount of sugar that Ragnor preferred.

 

“Oh good god, you got back together with Camille didn’t you?” Ragnor asked, and there was a certain degree of horror to his tone even if it wasn’t complete condemnation. Magnus turned and put the mug down in front of his green friend.

 

“No I didn’t,” he said, sitting down and wincing slightly.

 

“There’s a glass slipper in the lounge,” Ragnor said, gesturing over his shoulder. Magnus shrugged.

 

“Alec found it outside and brought it in. Maybe it fits him?” Magnus said flippantly. Ragnor’s expression darkened.

 

“This curse is not a game, Magnus. You can’t afford to dally around with just anyone,” Ragnor warned. Magnus shook his head.

 

“Even if Camille was my True Love, I can never forgive her, Ragnor. I loved the woman I thought she was, but I cannot reconcile that with who she is. If she is the one who is meant for me then… I reject that tragic love story and I will die happy in the knowledge that I had something that made me happy in my final months,” Magnus said. Ragnor sipped his coffee in silence.

 

“The Lightwood boy makes you happy?” he asked finally. Magnus nodded firmly.

 

“Yes,” he confirmed. Ragnor sighed and rubbed at his forehead, just beneath his horns.

 

“Then I hope your final months are happy, my friend,” he said softly. “Because this was the clearest chance you had to save yourself.”

 

Magnus looked down into his coffee.

 

“The future hasn’t been decided yet,” he said and he forced himself to believe it with all his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Next chapter:**
> 
> _Death stood there, robes billowing in a wind that Magnus could not feel. His dark eyes were an abyss, his smile eternal and unchanging, his menacing skull tilted as though on the hunt. In his hand a candle flickered, barely any of the wick left. A bony hand was resting on Alec's shoulder._


	14. Godfather Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! As you may know I had computer troubles and lost the whole thing so I rewrote it all and now I'm going to upload it over the next two weeks or so! Enjoy!
> 
> Warning: Character death(ish)

 

The future hasn’t been decided yet.

Magnus twirled a ring around his index finger, lost in thought.

Western cultures believed that fate was something you could overcome, that against all odds you would be able to defy a terrible destiny and throw your hubris in the face of the gods. They believed in the power of the individual, the power to change and grow, and to become. It was a way of thinking that had attracted Magnus. There had been a reason he had chosen to spend his years enveloped in the bosom of the West.

He had forgotten, or perhaps never wanted to truly acknowledge, that there was still some of the East within his thinking.

“The future hasn’t been decided yet,” he said allowed, parroting the words he’d said to Ragnor.

He knew a hundred fables of those learning their place, accepting what they had been given in life, accepting their lot in life. He recalled the Japanese myth of the red string of fate, that tangled knot which tied soulmates together.

He stopped spinning the ring and stood up, walking to the curse room to look at the rose. So few petals left. So little time left to do anything…

And yet his connection with Alec… He couldn’t deny it anymore than he could deny himself oxygen. Those moments when he had been cradled in Alec’s arms, watching his face…

Magnus had never been very good at denying himself things he wanted anyhow.

“Knock knock.”

Magnus turned. Simon was stood there, lop-sided and unsure smile on his face. He looked better than he had in awhile. Perhaps he had filled out a bit in the last few months? Or perhaps he was dressing better? Magnus tilted his head to the side, assessing him for a few moments more before he realised he had better say something.

“Hello,” he said. He realised how out of sorts he must have seemed and quickly moved, putting his hand on Simon’s shoulder and leading him out of the curse room and back into the lounge. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Need a love potion for a certain vampire?”

Simon looked flustered but he shook his head.

“No, I’m not here about that. I actually just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out a bit?” Simon offered. Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“No one comes here just to hang out, Simon,” he replied, though he hoped that perhaps Alec would start doing so soon. Well, more than just hangout.

“That’s just it isn’t it? We’re always here on some emergency or other but… I just thought…” Simon looked unsure again. Magnus wondered what he had done to earn the boy’s pity.

“By all means, we can hang out until the sun sets, Simon. I imagine then you’ll be heading to the Hotel Dumort?” Magnus let go of Simon’s shoulder and clicked his fingers. The coffee machine began to churn. Simon shrugged.

“Actually I’m meeting Raphael at Taki’s tonight,” Simon replied and Magnus was actually surprised that Simon was so nonchalant about it.

“Well that’s… nice,” Magnus turned around. Taki’s was hardly the place for a decent date, but then Simon was still a teen who knew no better and Raphael… well. Magnus had never really seen him date anyone before. He was sure that the other must have some kind of knowledge of it… Probably.

“If you’re going to ask me about Raphael, I’m going to ask you about Alec,” Simon said, flopping onto the couch. Magnus clicked his fingers and the freshly brewed coffee pot and two mugs floated towards the coffee table.

“Are you going to paint my nails too? I insist on it if we’re going to talk about boys,” he said, pushing Simon’s feet off the couch and perching where they’d been. He poured them both large mugs of coffee.

“Something’s got you in a mood today,” Simon commented and sat up long enough to reach for his mug, take a sip, wince at how hot it was, and put it back down.

“I have a lot on my mind,” Magnus replied. “The curse for a start. And what it’s got in store for me, how I intend to fight it without dying.”

“Shun death, is my advice,” Simon said, shrugging. “Just when the Grim Reaper turns up give him a cheerful wave and say ‘toodles’ and walk off.”

Magnus gave Simon an amused look. “You believe there’s a Grim Reaper waiting to take my soul? I mean, it’s flattering you think I have one.”

Simon stuck his tongue out. “Well, we can talk about this more seriously if you want?”

Magnus considered it longer than he should have, but in the end he shook his head.

“No, let’s watch re-runs of terrible 1970s sci-fi shows instead,” he suggested. Simon smiled and reached for his coffee again which Magnus took for agreement.

The future hasn’t been decided yet.

*

Magnus hadn’t been aware of feeling tired, but he had obviously fallen asleep. Simon’s feet were sprawled across his lap, the Chairman had curled up on Simon’s stomach, and the TV was playing some terrible black-and-white movie about martians. Simon was snoring lightly.

Magnus stretched and looked at his watch. As he flicked his wrist out he saw something by Simon’s feet. Black fabric, as dark as the void, moving in a breeze that Magnus could not feel. A skeletal hand holding onto a staff, no, a scythe. An never-ceasing grin on his mouth.

“Holy shit what the-” Magnus leapt to his feet. Simon didn’t stir and Death raised a finger to his skull, in parody of a shushing movement.

You are Magnus Bane. I am Death, your godfather.

Magnus wished Simon would wake up. He didn’t know how the other could sleep. Death’s voice seemed to boom through the room.

When I took the role, I promised you a present once you reached a certain age. I will give you the ability to see me. If I stand near someone’s head, you shall know that your magic can save them. If I stand by their feet, you shall know that they are lost to you.

Magnus became aware that Death was stood quite firmly at Simon’s feet. Death seemed to follow his glance because from a fold in his robe he took out a candle. It had burned almost completely down.

Alas, your friend’s life is very short. I’m afraid there’s nothing to be done. You will not be able to cure what will ale him.

“I don’t want to be able to see you, I don’t want…”

But Death didn’t seem to care. At that moment Simon turned in his sleep and then opened his eyes. Magnus waited for him to see the Grim Reaper standing by his feet, but Simon didn’t seem to see it at all. He stretched and looked at Magnus.

“What’s up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is it the curse?” Simon asked, looking concerned and getting to his feet.

It was the concern that was almost Magnus’ undoing. He quickly threw a glamor onto his face, hiding what he knew would be a stricken expression or teary eyes. Simon didn’t seem to notice the deception.

“How about I walk you to Taki’s?” Magnus asked. Simon frowned at him.

“Magnus are you sure? I mean, it’s kind of… I was thinking it would just be Raphael and-”

“I’m walking you,” Magnus said. Simon gave him a weird look but then shrugged.

“Whatever Magnus.”

*

“Magnus look out!”

Magnus felt himself being thrown off his feet. He looked up in time to see a flash of pale skin and a pair of blue eyes before Alec had taken off again. He felt disorientated. One minute he’d been walking along the street, right in front of Taki’s, the next...

What were Shadowhunters doing here? He looked for Simon to see that the mundane had been thrown aside too. He was scrambling to his feet already though, looking around for their attacker.

Whatever had attacked them was fast, so fast that Alec was having trouble keeping up. His seraph blade was swishing through the air, missing its target. Magnus raised a hand, concentrating his magic into one concentrated stream and blasting it in the direction of the creature.

He heard a pained yell that let him know he’d caught it. Alec nodded in thanks and Magnus gave him a small smile. He turned back to Simon, ready to tell him that everything was fine now, but Simon was gone.

“Alec, where’s Simon?”

“What?” Alec was binding the creature they’d caught tightly, his expression grim.

“Where’s Simon?” Magnus demanded. Alec looked confused.

“Simon was here?”

Magnus felt a cold chill go down his spine.

*

Raphael looked at the body that had washed out of the Hudson. It hadn’t had time to bloat yet, it had only been in there a few hours, but it was still dead. As dead as dead could be.

Perhaps even deader.

Usually, Raphael wouldn’t have bothered with just another dead body in the Hudson, but there was a reason he’d been called. A reason he was here.There was a reason they were all here.

Clary was being held back by Jace, sobbing and crying and clawing to get to to the body. Jace’s muscles strained to hold her back, his golden eyes seemingly unable to draw themselves away from the corpse on the ground.

Alec and Isabelle Lightwood were stood, arms folded, solemnly looking on. Isabelle looked more affected that Alec, her large dark eyes glittering more than usual in the lights of the darkened city.

Magnus was kneeling at the corpse’s side, doing what he had been doing over and over again since he’d arrived. A flash of blue fire, magic seeping into eyes and the body’s slack mouth, but whatever Magnus was trying to do had no effect.

Not even Warlock magic could cure death.

“It was vampires,” Alec confirmed in a low murmur. “Can you be sure that they weren’t acting on Camille’s orders?”

“No one can be sure of that,” Raphael replied. He wasn’t sure how he felt. He wasn’t sure how he could feel so numb to it all. He realised it was because realistically, he was the only one holding it together.

Alec would have to take care of Magnus and Isabelle. Jace would have to take care of Clary, a task that Raphael didn’t envy.

Raphael would take care of Simon.

But first, he had to check.

“Clary Fairchild,” he said, turning away from Simon’s glassy eyes and looking at her. Her frantic face turned towards him, her eyes beseeching him to do something. “We can bury him now and he’ll… come back.”

It wasn’t the precise truth. The Simon that Clary knew and loved would be forever changed, a creature of the night, a monster like Raphael was himself.

“We can… But he’ll be…?” Clary seemed confused. Raphael stared her down.

“He’ll be a vampire. He’ll become a Downworlder,” he confirmed. Clary had stopped struggling now. Her hands were shaking. Raphael watched as her tear-streaked expression slowly morphed into one of resolve.

“Do it,” she said. “Bring my best friend back.”

Raphael nodded. He recalled Simon’s reaction at Bluebeard’s home, remembered how vehemently against the idea of being a vampire he was, how he’d have rather died than become what Raphael was.

Raphael turned and picked Simon up. He grimaced at the dampness of his skin, though he could not feel its coldness.

“It’ll be done,” he promised. Magnus had frozen, staring at where the body had been on the ground, his hand still partially raised. Magic danced at his fingertips. Raphael saw Alec swoop down, an arm sliding around Magnus’ shoulders, pulling the warlock against him in a move that seemed completely natural and free of shame.

Raphael looked at Simon once more.

Free of shame…

Neither he nor Simon would ever feel that way again, he had no doubt, once the night was over.

*

“It’s all my fault.”

It was all Magnus had said for the past thirty minutes and it was starting to wear Alec’s patience thin. He’d taken Magnus back to the apartment, wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, tried to get him to drink or eat something, but Magnus had just sat there, staring into nothingness, repeating the same phrase over and over.

“Magnus, it’s not your fault. Simon had been hanging out with vampires for months. Someone probably decided he was a good way to get to Raphael,” Alec replied. He hated having to sound so reasonable about it, but he couldn’t help but take on the role of big brother when Magnus clearly wasn’t able to be the mature one himself. Magnus turned to him.

Glitter and eyeliner had streaked down Magnus’ cheeks.

“No one was supposed to get hurt, Alec. No one was supposed to die because of me,” he whispered. “I was the only one. I was the only one meant to die.”

It was nonsense, Alec was sure of it, and he wrapped his arms around Magnus.

“No. No one is meant to die. Not even you. And Raphael found a way to bring Simon back. He’ll be alright. He’s strong enough to not let becoming a vampire change him,” Alec said lowly into Magnus’ ear. He felt Magnus shudder against him, before arms wrapped around him unsurely.

“I can’t… Alec, I haven’t told you the whole truth of things. I need to tell you-” Magnus began, but his voice was shaking so much that Alec shook his head. His curiosity was piqued, but a distraught, emotionally unbalanced Magnus was in no position to be divulging secrets. Alec respected him enough for that.

“Whatever it is, it can wait for now,” he said. Magnus looked like he wanted to argue, but Alec saw the resolve in his eyes waver.

“You should rest. Tomorrow night we’ll know if Simon has… come back,” Alec said. He stood up and held out his hand. Magnus stared at it.

“You’ll stay with me?” he asked. Alec tried to smile reassuringly. He wasn’t sure what had Magnus so spooked, so unsure of himself, so afraid, but if he could offer any comfort he would.

“Of course,” he promised.

Magnus reached up and took his hand, gripping it a little too tightly. Together they went to bed.

*

Magnus woke just as the sun set. His phone was buzzing incessantly. He grabbed it and answered the call.

“Magnus, it’s Clary,” her voice was shaking. “I thought… Simon wakes up later. I want you to be there to help… reassure him. Raphael said… said you’d done it before.”

A whole host of memories that Magnus didn’t want to remember rose to him, of a younger Raphael surrounded by the bodies of his friends staring at him in horror and just wanting to be killed.

“I… yes, I have,” he said. He had hoped to never have to do it again. “I’ll be there.”

He turned over. Alec was still asleep beside him, arm thrown over his eyes and chest rising and falling gently. Magnus reached out and laid his hand over Alec’s heart. For a moment it was peaceful, but it didn’t last long.

Alec stirred and rolled over. His hand instinctively went to cover Magnus’ own, holding it up to his mouth and kissing it before he opened his eyes. The gesture was so natural, so intimate, Magnus was sure that Alec hadn’t even realised he’d done it.

“Good morning,” Alec said, yawning and scowling against the evening light. Magnus’ mouth felt dry.

How long had it been since he last woke up with someone? How long had it been since someone woke up and looked genuinely pleased that he was the first thing they saw? How long had it been since someone held his hand tightly against their heart as though they were never going to let go…?

“Good morning,” Magnus replied. He leaned forward on impulse, kissing Alec softly. Alec let him, humming sleepily into the kiss before he drew back.

“Do you feel better after having slept?” Alec asked. Magnus didn’t know what to say. He could hardly say he felt better about Simon’s death, when it would have been nothing but a lie. But to wake up with Alec beside him, it was more than he had ever hoped for.

“I will know after I see Simon later today,” he replied. Alec sighed.

“You know, we all die, someday. The goal isn’t to live forever for mortals, our goal is to create something that will. No matter what, Raphael burying Simon has given him the chance to create something that will last longer than all of us,” Alec said. Magnus wished he could take comfort in that advice.

“Except for those of us who are immortal, as Simon will be,” he replied, aware he sounded sullen. Alec, wonderful, caring Alec, let the comment pass, rubbing his thumb against the back of Magnus’ hand instead.

“Come on. Let’s get up and get ready to greet Spanish Harlem’s newest fledgling,” he coaxed. He got out of bed, relinquishing Magnus’ hand to pull on the same clothes he had been wearing the night before. Magnus watched him, the dying sunlight painting his skin.

*

Simon came to with the taste of dirt and blood in his mouth. He was curled into the fetal position, shaking from head to toe. He could hear, vaguely, the sound of others talking. He could smell them.

Clary’s perfume and beneath it the strong scent of her blood. The scent of leather and feathers that he was sure was Alec. The smell like a smoking match that he wasn’t sure how he knew was Magnus. And lastly a smell that he knew well, though he wasn’t sure how: Raphael.

“What…?” he uncurled. He looked up and saw Alec putting an arm out to stop Clary from walking forward. Beside them both Magnus looked on, eyes concerned and serious. Only Raphael stepped forward, offering Simon a hand.

“Good morning,” he said, and though no one else would have noticed it, Simon couldn’t help it but see the uncertainty in Raphael’s face. Behind the bravado, behind the swagger, there was something unsure and hesitant.

“Wh-what happened?” Simon asked and his mouth formed around the words differently. He reached up and his fingers brushed against the tips of long, elongated canines.

“Oh G-” and he couldn’t finish the word, leading to all his suspicions solidifying. Raphael crouched down in front of him.

“You won’t be able to say that for a while,” he said softly. Simon clutched at his knees, trying to remember what had happened. He’d been attacked, while walking with Magnus, and they had lured the warlock and Alec, who had been hunting them, away.

They’d grabbed him almost immediately, blindfolded him, dragged him somewhere dark and humid. He’d struggled, he remembered that, and then he’d felt their fangs ripping into his skin. It hadn’t felt pleasant like he’d been told a vampire’s bite was. It was a searing pain.

He’d been dying… But as he’d been almost there, he remembered tasting something, drinking it.

Make sure he drinks it all. We want evidence that Camille’s little family did this.

Simon shook his head.

“I’m a vampire,” he said softly. He looked up at Raphael’s face once more and saw Raphael nod once, stiffly.

“Yeah, you’re a vampire. I’m sorry Simon,” he said. Simon looked down at his hands. He felt panic surging within him. His mother, his life, his school career, was it all going to disappear now? Was he going to live in a coffin at the Hotel Dumort and live out the rest of his days terrified that Shadowhunters might one day break down the door and-

“Simon?”

It was Clary. She’d stepped forward. Simon could smell her blood, hear her heartbeat, taste the salt of her tears.

“Stay back,” he choked out and he realised that he couldn’t guarantee control of himself. He couldn’t guarantee that he would be able to hold back.

“Do as he says,” Alec said softly. Clary gave him a sharp look but then took a slow step back, as though backing up from a dangerous animal.

“You’re going to be unstable for a while,” Raphael said, putting his hand on Simon’s shoulder. “It’s best to come back with me, to the Hotel Dumort.”

Simon nodded, feeling strangely disconnected. Would he never be able to hang around his non-vampire friends again? Would he be alone now? Raphael the only person he knew and trusted?

“Simon… I’m sorry,” Magnus said. Simon looked up at him and tilted his head. Magnus had nothing to apologise for.

“You did nothing,” he said but Magnus’ mouth was a thin line, his eyes skittered to the side.

“I’m sorry,” Magnus repeated and then turned and walked away, hands in his pockets. Simon watched him go, a solitary figure, and wondered if somehow this was part of the curse, that in a universe without it this wouldn’t have happened to him, that perhaps maybe it was Magnus’ fault.

Then he glanced at Alec’s face, at the concern, the worry, the gnawing unease, and pushed the thought from his mind. He’d have eternity to brood about this, he might as well not start now.

“To the Hotel Dumort then,” he said. Raphael reached out and took his hand and for the first time, Simon thought Raphael’s hand felt warm.

*

Magnus stared down at the curse book. Godfather Death was written there in beautiful cursive, it’s script was beautiful.

He hoped his ability to see death had gone with Simon’s passing into being undead, but he had no way of knowing for sure. He closed the book, reaching up to massage the bridge of his nose.

He felt Alec’s arms slide around his waist from behind, pulling him firmly, comfortingly, against him.

“Simon will be alright,” Alec murmured into his ear. “It’ll all be alright.”

Magnus watched as another petal parted from the rose, fluttering down onto the table. There wasn’t long left. His time with Alec would be so short, so fleeting. He was reminded of an A.A. Milne quote.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,” he quoted. Alec didn’t say anything in response, merely waited for Magnus to say something more.

He didn’t.

Perhaps this was the curse’s way of reminding him that death would come for them all eventually… and it was coming for Magnus in less than six months.

 


	15. Ribbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So he’s still his charming self in there then?” Jace asked. Alec nodded, scratching the back of his neck.
> 
> “Yeah just more slimy,” he replied. When a frog decided to stick out it’s tongue it was decidedly impressive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your support. This chapter has a much awaited revelation in it although I doubt many of you will be happy. Also, enjoy Kieran :3

Alec had watched Magnus mope about for weeks. It wasn’t what he’d expected after they had finally got together. Or at least, he thought they were together. When he really considered it, they hadn’t exactly put a term on what it was they were yet.

He spent nights at Magnus’ apartment as often as he could. He made sure to respond to messages quickly. He even tried a few times to get Magnus out of the house and on a date.

But nothing had inspired Magnus to get out of whatever funk he’d been in since Simon had turned.

Magnus felt further away than ever…

*

Simon took a deep breath and hugged Clary gingerly. He managed to keep his baser impulses in check. Behind him, Raphael lurked, eyes watching his every move.

Things had been different now he was a vampire. He had slowly gotten used to the increased speed, strength and superior senses, but there was an encroaching loneliness that he couldn’t fight.

Raphael had been his support, the only one who had been what he had been through who Simon trusted even remotely. Raphael had held him through days when he had cried himself to sleep, his homesickness so strong that he had barely been able to stop himself shaking. Raphael had taught him how to say the word “God” again, even if he was still only just getting the hang of it. Raphael had taught him how to tell when his body was craving blood, when he was at the limits of his powers, when he was staying outside a little too late before the sunrise.

Yet nothing else had happened. Their relationship, that had been building slowly over the last six months, had changed. It wasn’t that the tension wasn’t there any more, it was more that…

Simon didn’t feel Raphael desired him like this at all. Perhaps Raphael had merely wanted a subjugate? Perhaps that was what Simon had been becoming? Perhaps he had wanted Simon as a blood bag and not Simon as an immortal partner of whom he could never be rid of?

Simon let Clary go. Her eyes watched him as he took a few steps back. His best friend, forever wary of his presence now.

“It’s great to see you,” he said, smiling and realising that it showed off his fangs and immediately wishing he hadn’t. Clary smiled back though, her wariness vanishing.

“I can’t believe how lucky we were that it was vampires that attacked you and not something worse,” Clary said. Simon felt a chill go down his spine.

The sounds of sucking blood, the pain, the indescribable feeling of life leaving his body, the taste of blood in his mouth.

“Yeah. Lucky.”

Raphael stepped forward and put his hand on Simon’s shoulder. Clary looked between them, obviously not sure of her faux-pas and then plastered a smile on her face.

“Well, you two seem to be getting along,” she said. Simon didn’t know where to look, but Raphael’s hand on his shoulder squeezed tightly.

“Vampires look after one another,” he said. Simon tried to relax a little, but Raphael just moved in closer to him. “Though I guess, Fairchild, you wouldn’t know too much about that.”

“Raphael, I’m not here to start a fight or ask anything of the vampires. I just wanted to see Simon,” she said, holding up her hands in a placating gesture.

“Tell him how lucky he is that we buried him? Or that even though his best friend is a Shadowhunter, she wasn’t around to protect him-”

“Raphael!” Simon wasn’t sure why Raphael was attacking Clary, but it certainly made him uncomfortable. Clary looked taken aback.

“What is wrong with you?” Clary asked. Simon felt Raphael’s hand slip off his shoulder.

“It’s been weeks since Simon was attacked. And you’re no closer to solving why he was turned, are you?” Raphael demanded. “You haven’t even tried. The Lightwood is too concerned with keeping Magnus alive. Your Golden Boy is too busy showing his bravado by massacring minor demons. Even the Lightwood girl would rather play with fairies than help Downworlders when Shadowhunter help is needed most!”

Clary looked at Simon, to see if he felt the same way, but Simon couldn’t meet her eyes. He didn’t blame her for what happened. It wasn’t her fault just like it wasn’t Raphael’s. He hadn’t told them the full truth of it. He hadn’t told Raphael. He was sure that Raphael would only blame himself.

“There’s no need to fight about this,” Simon said. Raphael growled low in his throat.

“Figures you’d take her side. Why don’t you run along to the Institute and play at being their pet vampire just like Magnus is their pet Warlock?” Raphael bit out. Simon hadn’t known he could hiss like that, but the sound that erupted from his mouth was certainly not human. He saw Clary take a step backwards in instinctive fear.

“That’s what this is about. You’re being possessive!” he realised and he wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or angry. Raphael’s eyes darkened.

“That’s not it at all-”

“Yes it is,” Simon said and let it hang in the air between them. Raphael stared him down. Clary seemed even more confused.

“Do you want to know why I haven’t been pressuring the Institute to investigate this?” Simon asked, taking a step forward. “Why I’ve been keeping my head down and trying to make the most of this? Why I’ve been living here, in the Hotel Dumort and not making a scene?”

It seemed like Raphael suddenly didn’t want him to tell him any of those things, not that it mattered to Simon. He could taste blood as his own fangs had caught his bottom lip in his anger.

“Because whoever did this framed you,” he said. Raphael’s eyes were wide. Clary had frozen, looking between the two of them.

“What are you talking about?” Raphael asked. Simon couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Can’t you feel it? The bond of sire and fledgling?” he asked. Raphael looked suddenly like he was going to be sick. “It’s your blood their poured down my neck before they finished me off. Any investigation by the Institute is going to find you at fault. So don’t blame Clary for this.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t,” Raphael said quietly and gave Clary a withering look before he turned and walked away. Simon tilted his head to one side. That was almost too easy.

“Simon are you alright?” she asked. “That got a little… intense.”

“That’s just Raphael,” Simon said quietly. “I’ll find out what’s eating him later.”

“I worry about you, Simon,” Clary admitted, reaching out to take his hand. Simon let her, feeling her warmth against his cold skin.

“I’m fine, Clary, or at least, I will be,” he said softly. “I’m not sure this is better than being a Mundane, but… I’m starting to believe it might be better than death at least.”

“I… You should go after Raphael,” Clary said, stepping away. Simon didn’t question what it was she had been about to say.

“Yeah. See you around,” he said and disappeared into the labyrinthine corridors of the Hotel Dumort.

*

Magnus knew he was being a terrible boyfriend. He was quite aware of it. He knew that he needed to do something special, something to show Alec that he cared, something to show Alec that there was a reason to stay around.

He’d resolved to tell Alec about the curse that night as well. The truth of it. The imminent death. The True Love business. The lot. It was only fair that Alec knew that whatever it was they had might be over before it had ever truly begun.

He conjured up a romantic meal and waited for Alec to arrive. Alec had assured him he was coming, so it was only a matter of time, he hoped, before the Shadowhunter made it. Although the soup was forming a skin… Perhaps he should re-heat it?

He was pondering whether or not to cast a quick heat spell when he felt something change. He felt like he was shrinking. Becoming smaller, becoming… slimier...

He looked at his hand and instead of seeing beautiful obsidian rings and a deep purple polished nails, he saw a green, webbed… paw? Did frogs have paws? Hands? Hoofs?

Magnus gingerly hopped off the chair and towards the full length mirror in his bedroom. Once there he stared at his reflection.

His body was green with strange brown ridges all over it. His eyes a deep orange that still had his tell-tale catlike pupils. He was incredibly small, less than two inches, and as his mouth fell open in shock he noticed he had some rather interesting fangs.

I’m a goddamn Indonesian fanged frog… of all the things that the curse could get caught up on it couldn’t have just made me some cute Amazonian tree frog or something…

“Magnus?”

Magnus startled, causing him to jump a foot into the air and smack into the mirror. He shook his head dazedly. He heard the heavy footfalls of someone walking through his apartment in boots.

“Magnus are you here?”

Alec.

Alec had arrived. Magnus looked at himself in the mirror again and then reluctantly hopped into the lounge. He wondered if there was a way to make oneself look attractive when one was, for all intents and purposes, a horned toad.

“Magnus?” Alec was stood by the table, looking perplexed. Now that Magnus thought about it, it did look odd. The table prepared for dinner but no Magnus in sight. He saw Alec’s face slowly clearing from confusion and a more calculating look coming into his eye. The seraph blade that Alec drew was quietly activated.

Magnus hopped a little closer and grimaced when he landed strangely and made a wet-slapping sound that caused Alec’s bright blue eyes to fix on him.

Alec stared at him for a few moments, obviously trying to ascertain why there was a loose frog in Magnus’ apartment. He then dismissed him and began to creep forward, seraph blade ready to take out any assailant.

Magnus quickly hopped after him, trying to grab hold of the cuff of Alec’s jeans and pull on them. Alec looked down at him again and frowned, using his foot to brush him aside.

The small croak that erupted from Magnus’ throat could only be described as exasperated. Alec stared at him. Magnus hopped up and down irritated, pointing at the dinner table, then at himself, then at Alec in rapid succession.

Alec slowly lowered the blade, his eyes filling with realisation, before he threw his head back and laughed.

*

“Does he have enough water?” Clary asked. She was surveying Magnus from above the bowl of water that Alec had tipped him into. Magnus was lounging around in it quite happily it seemed, his webbed feet making slight ripples in the water.

He’d called Clary immediately, knowing that if there was anyone who knew anything about fairytales, it’d be her. She had, of course, brought Jace, who had been periodically filming Magnus on his phone, much to the warlock’s anger.

“I think he’s fine. You should have seen him struggle when I tried to use cold water though,” Alec replied, folding his arms. “He jumped straight from my hand onto my head and refused to go anywhere near the bowl until I’d heated it to at least room temperature.”

“So he’s still his charming self in there then?” Jace asked. Alec nodded, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah just more slimy,” he replied. When a frog decided to stick out it’s tongue it was decidedly impressive.

“Well, it’s obvious what we should do,” Clary said, straightening up and picking up the bowl, holding it out to Alec.

“What?” Alec said, taking it from her. The water sloshed slightly and Magnus let out a strange croaking noise that Alec guessed was probably indignation.

“True love’s kiss,” Clary said smiling brightly. “Lucky you were here, really.”

Alec swallowed. True Love’s Kiss? That… wouldn’t work. It hadn’t worked before… But Clary was looking at him expectantly and Jace had quirked an eyebrow. Alec looked down at Magnus, who had gone perfectly still.

It seemed like both of them knew that this wasn’t going to be the cure that Clary hoped it would be.

Still Alec leaned down, grimacing as his lips brushed over cold, mucus-covered skin. Magnus let out a ribbit that sounded almost like a pleased chirp and hopped onto his shoulder, nuzzling against his neck.

He remained very much a frog.

“Oh,” Clary said, looking taken aback. “Well that’s…”

“You sure it’s true love’s kiss?” Jace asked, taking a few steps forward and taking the bowl from Alec who was trying to stop Magnus from falling down the back of his shirt.

“Well, the story is the Frog Prince, right?” Clary asked. Alec shrugged. He had no idea. Magnus hopped from his shoulder onto the kitchen countertop and made some complicated gestures towards the lounge, hopping side to side madly before playing dead.

“I don’t speak Frog,” Jace said, looking at Alec for guidance. “Or crazed Warlock either.”

“Don’t look at me. I have no idea,” he said. Clary wasn’t even looking at Magnus, her brows furrowed.

“The other name of the story is… The Princess and the Frog. What if it’s not True Love’s Kiss? What if it’s just the kiss of royalty?” she asked. Alec turned away from Magnus, looking at her and nodding. That could probably work, there was only one problem…

“The USA officially got rid of royal families quite a few centuries ago,” he pointed out. Clary sighed, biting her lip as she thought.

It was Jace who came up with the idea.

“Yeah but the Seelie and Unseelie Court has plenty of Princes and Princesses,” he pointed out. “No one said they had to be human.”

Magnus was doing some kind of elaborate dance now but Alec ignored him. He had no idea what the frog-warlock wanted, and he didn’t particularly want to spend too much time with his boyfr-whatever as a frog either.

“Let’s get Isabelle to call in some favors,” he said and Magnus dramatically slumped onto the countertop. Alec scooped him up.

“I have no idea what you want me to do, so just behave,” he said.

The look the frog gave him was almost downright dirty.

*

The one who answered their message was beautiful, but in a sharp, pointed way that almost hurt to look at. Magnus noticed that his hair changed from a non-descript navy to a pale blue upon the sight of him, and the fairy threw his head back in laughter. When he had finished, he finally opened his eyes again, revealing one black and one a soft silver.

His white gauntlets let Magnus know he was dealing with an Unseelie Prince.

“Thank you for coming to help us,” Isabelle said and the prince looked at her for a long moment before he shook his head.

“I didn’t come to help anyone. I came so I could see with my own two eyes what Magnus Bane looked like as a potion ingredient,” he said, pointing at Magnus and smiling again. Magnus rolled his eyes and hopped onto Alec’s head. At least this way he was taller.

“Well, seeing as you’re here,” Jace said, smiling in a way that could only be described as slightly dangerous. “You can pucker up.”

“Excuse me?” Kieran looked at him like he’d gone insane. “I’m not putting my mouth anywhere near him. Frog or otherwise.”

“I’m not sure that you have much of a choice in this one,” Jace said. “You see, my parabatai over here would rather have Magnus… taller, less covered in mucus, generally a little more bedazzled than he is now… And the only thing that’s going to help is the kiss of a Prince or a Princess and guess what, that’s you buddy.”

Kieran saw the lines of tension in Alec’s shoulders and did the smart thing. He sighed and held out his palm. Magnus begrudgingly hopped into it. He did not want to do this. He knew it wouldn’t work.

Sure enough, the moment Kieran’s fairy lips touched his and nothing happened, he hopped away. He had almost got to the book with the answer when Alec scooped him up.

“Well, that was a waste of time,” Alec said, holding onto him as he struggled. Magnus tried to squirm away, but Alec just held onto him more strongly.

“I could have told you it wouldn’t work,” Kieran said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “And not even a thank you!”

Magnus tried to unpeel Alec’s fingers from around his body, but Alec’s attention was taken up by the fairy prince and he didn’t even seem to notice Magnus’ urgency.

“Well, what if it’s more to do with legitimacy?” Jace suggested. Magnus froze in Alec’s hand.

“Kieran, what are you? Fiftieth in line or something?” Jace asked. Kieran gave him a flat, dead look and Jace quickly continued. “What if the person has to be an actual leader? Like the head of the Institute-”

“My mom is not going to kiss Magnus. My father would rather die,” Alec pointed out. Jace nodded, fully serious.

“Yeah but there are other leaders in New York aren’t there? There’s Luke for the werewolves and-”

“And Camille,” Alec finished the sentence for him.

Magnus had had enough. He opened his mouth and bit down on Alec’s fingers, hard.

Alec yelped and out of reflex flung him away.

Magnus guessed that was all he could have hoped for.

He hit the wall hard with a splatting sound before his fully human body slid down it and onto the floor.

He was grateful that the curse hadn’t decided to bring him back naked.

“What the hell?” Jace asked, and they all ran across the room to Magnus’ prone form, even the fairy, whose hair had taken on blueish-grey hint in his shock at what had happened.

“The original story… she doesn’t kiss the frog. That’s gross,” Magnus explained, grimacing and getting to his feet. “She throws him across the room.”

There was a long pause.

“I kissed a frog for nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Kieran said, looking incredulous. Alec’s mouth was downturned.

“Yeah, well, you weren’t the only one.”

The fairy’s laugh echoed through the room.

*

“Shame it wasn’t that whole love business after all,” Jace said as they walked back to the Institute. Magnus had declined to come with them, instead deciding to escort the fairy prince back to his realm. Alec had decided not to comment on that, though a twinge of jealousy did sink into his chest.

“If it had been, we’d have had to take him to Camille,” Alec commented, rubbing his temples absently. He could feel more than he could see the look Jace gave him.

“Camille?” Clary asked, because if there was ever a person made to pry into his business it was her.

“Yeah. The Cinderella curse. Camille was Cinderella,” Alec replied, putting his hands in his pockets. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the kiss that woke Magnus up from Snow White though Magnus says he doesn’t know who that was.”

“Alec…” Clary said and Alec felt the first spots of a summer shower starting to fall. He glanced up at the sky.

“It’s going to rain,” he said, hoping that they could push on without finishing this conversation. Clary grabbed his arm though, stopping him. Jace was looking between them, concerned and confused.

“Are you saying that Camille… the curse says that Camille is Magnus’ True Love?” she asked. Alec looked into her eyes and saw there was something in them more than just curiosity. There was a sadness there, a sadness and a guilt and something more, something that looked almost like pity.

“Yeah, well, so what? Magnus chose me-”

“You don’t know. He still hasn’t told you has he?” Clary asked. Alec stared at her.

“Clary, is this the time?” Jace tried to interject but Alec held up his hand to cut him off. The rain was starting to fall properly now, large drops of water that landed on the back of his neck and slid down the back of his t-shirt.

“What hasn’t Magnus told me?” he asked. Clary seemed to be steeling her courage.

“The truth of the curse,” Clary said finally. Her hair was slowly sticking to the sides of her face. “That he’ll die unless he accepts True Love and is accepted in return. That’s what the rose is counting down to! It’s Beauty and the Beast! The other curses are just… distractions!”

Alec took a few steps backwards, Clary’s grip on him having weakened. He stared at the ground.

“That’s not true,” he whispered, because he didn’t want to believe it.

He didn’t want to believe that Magnus- stupid, idiotic, Magnus- had chosen to run away from his problems rather than face them. Or that he’d used Alec, and Alec’s feelings for him, as some kind of scapegoat for it.

“It’s true. I asked him myself. He made me promise not to tell you. I thought… I thought he’d tell you but… He’s running out of time and I can’t… I can’t let him die and you get hurt like this. If Magnus can’t love you, if he’s not supposed to-”

“Shut up,” Alec hissed. “You don’t know anything about Magnus and me!”

“Whoa, Alec, calm down-”

“Don’t you start either!” Alec turned to Jace, eyes flashing. “Did you know too? How many people knew and were just laughing at me this whole time?”

“Alec, that’s not how it is. I’m pretty sure that this whole situation is much more complicated than that,” Jace said, his voice low in warning but Alec took another step backwards.

“What do you know about it?” Alec asked.

He thought back now. Magnus had tried to stop things so many times. He had tried to tell him, hadn’t he, those few weeks ago. He had tried to stop Alec from pursuing him but it was Magnus. Of course he was weak to being pursued. His own ego would have loved it.

And if Magnus was determined to die rather than admit that he loved Camille…

“Alec…” Clary’s eyes were beseeching but Alec turned away from her.

“Go back to the Institute. I want to be alone,” he said, turning and walking as quickly as he could to the subway. He knew they were shadowing him, but he slipped into a train just as the doors closed and left them behind.

He spent the rest of the night riding the subway from one side of New York to the other, trying to make sense of everything he had been told

By sunrise he had no answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3


	16. Tinder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Looks like you and Magnus have a lot more in common than either of you would admit. Is your plan to get absolutely trollied?” Ragnor asked. Alec nodded. Ragnor gave him a small smile. “Ah, well, in that case I suppose I’ll join you. It’s highly unlikely you’ll make me eat guinea pigs after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Grief is great. Only you and I know that in this land yet. Let us be good to one another." - CS Lewis.
> 
> #thoughtswithorlando

“You tried to warn me,” Alec said as he slipped in the bar stool beside Ragnor. The warlock gave him a long look before he shrugged.

 

“If you had been born but twenty years earlier, you and Magnus could have been the beautiful Romeo and Juliet story… Of course, you’d both be exceptionally dead, because Valentine would have killed you but there you have it,” Ragnor said, flapping his hand dismissively. Alec ordered himself a drink, not even paying attention to what he’d ordered.

 

“Tell me. How do I keep Magnus alive despite himself?” Alec asked. Ragnor gave him an appraising look.

 

“Your feelings for Magnus are true, aren’t they?” he asked. Alec didn’t know what to say to that so he just grabbed at the bottle of beer that was put in front of him and began to methodically peel away the label.

 

“Well, no matter now I suppose,” Ragnor said, taking another drink of something that looked rather like a lava lamp in drink form.

 

“How do we save him?” Alec repeated. Ragnor sighed.

 

“Well, Camille destroyed him. I’ve never seen him so thoroughly destroyed as the night she left, as the days, months, years before he got over her,” Ragnor confided. “I have no advice on how to bury a past like that so that Magnus might be saved.”

 

So even Ragnor thought that Camille was the answer to this problem.

 

Alec picked up his beer and took a swig, and then with a more determined look on his face, downed it and ordered another.

 

“Looks like you and Magnus have a lot more in common than either of you would admit. Is your plan to get absolutely trollied?” Ragnor asked. Alec nodded. Ragnor gave him a small smile. “Ah, well, in that case I suppose I’ll join you. It’s highly unlikely you’ll make me eat guinea pigs after all.”

 

*

 

“Ragnor, it’s sunrise. You know I hate sunrise. An ungodly hour,” Magnus said when he opened the apartment door to see his green friend. Ragnor however just chuckled and from the side of the door frame he pulled a flailing black shape by the scruff of the neck.

 

Alec couldn’t even seem to get his feet under himself he was so drunk. He stumbled and fell into Magnus, headbutting him rather painfully and then slouching off to one side and almost toddling to the couch.

 

Magnus gave Ragnor a questioning look.

 

“We apparently frequent the same bar. Or he came looking for me,” Ragnor said, shrugging. There was the distinct smell of gin about him. “In any case, he’s in a bad way. He might have killed off most of his brain cells with those last few shots of tequila.”

 

“You let him drink tequila?” Magnus asked, watching as Alec tried unsuccessfully to remove his boots and then gave up and flopped back onto the couch.

 

“I didn’t  _ let _ him do anything. We were both quite active participants,” Ragnor said cheerfully. Magnus rubbed his temples.

 

“If I have to deal with one drunk idiot, I’m not dealing with you as well. Get out,” he snapped. Ragnor looked like he had something else to say but then he shook his head and began to make his way shakily down the stairs.

 

“Come on, Alec, let’s get you to bed,” Magnus said, stooping down to try to get Alec to his feet. He was surprised to find Alec pushing against him almost violently.

 

“No!” Alec said petulantly, like a child having a tantrum. Magnus stared down at him, nonplussed.

 

“You want to sleep here on the couch?” he asked. Alec gave him a sleepy, drunken look.

 

“I don’t want to sleep here,” he replied. Magnus smiled and leaned down to try to lift Alec up but Alec struggled again.

 

“No! No no no!” he protested again. Magnus withdrew. Who knew that Alec would be so cantankerous when drunk?

 

“So you don’t want to sleep here but you don’t want to come with me?” Magnus asked. Alec threw an arm over his eyes. Magnus saw his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.

 

“No,” he said after a moment. Magnus sighed.

 

“‘No’ what?” he asked. He had never had children, never really considered the possibility before, but dealing with Alec like this made him wonder if it would ever be a good idea for him to have them.

 

“No,” Alec said firmly. Magnus lost his patience at that moment and clicked his fingers. Alec flailed as he was elevated from the couch and dragged, not too gently, towards the bedroom. Once he was on the bed though, he merely curled into a ball, not moving.

 

Magnus realised he’d fallen asleep immediately.

 

“Well then,” Magnus said. He looked at his own, empty side of the bed, and then sighed.

 

It felt weird climbing into bed with an Alec who wasn’t even coherent enough to answer a simple either/or question.

 

He grabbed a few pillows and a blanket from his closet and took the couch instead.

 

*

 

Alec awoke to a head that felt like it was stuffed with molotov cocktails each exploding in time with his heartbeat. He put a hand to his head and groaned.

 

Looking around, he recognised Magnus’ house. A vague recollection of Ragnor insisting that he go talk to Magnus surfaced but was quickly pushed away by his sudden, urgent need to vomit. He dashed to the bathroom, throwing up what looked to be a grisly mixture of bar food and pure alcohol.

 

He flushed and washed out his mouth, borrowing some of Magnus’ mouthwash to swill around his teeth. The faint taste of alcohol in the mouthwash made him gag all over again and he sank to his knees in misery, clutching is turbulent stomach and wishing he’d had to sense to channel his misery in some other fashion other than copious amounts of drinking.

 

He struggled to his feet once more five minutes later, when the wave of nausea passed and he was finally able to stand again. The room was spinning.

 

He realised it was possible that he was still drunk.

 

He stumbled out of the bathroom and into the lounge. Magnus was curled up with Chairman Meow on the couch, snoring lightly. Alec looked at him, feeling his heart race and his breath come short but also an impending sense of dread fill him.

 

He didn’t wake him. He didn’t want to have this conversation in this state. He needed his wits about him, needed to not be about to throw up.

 

He darted for the door. He realised he was still wearing his boots when his footsteps were almost impossibly loud. Had he slept in them?

 

“Alec?” Magnus called sleepily, but Alec didn’t pause. He threw open the door and took the stairs two at a time.

 

When he got outside and the fresh air hit him, he promptly threw up one more time before taking off down the road.

 

*

 

Magnus heard the door slam and struggled to his feet. By the time he’d got down the stairs, all that was left of Alec was the contents of his stomach waiting like a present on the doorstep. Magnus clicked his fingers with a grimace and vanished it away.

 

Alec was acting so strangely.

 

He climbed back up the stairs slowly, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He’d call Alec, that’s what he’d do. Perhaps he could arrange for them to meet later that day and they could talk about whatever had Alec spooked and Magnus could… come clean about the curse.

 

When he opened the door to his apartment though, Chairman Meow darted between his legs, fleeing the apartment with such speed that Magnus couldn’t grab him in time. Cursing, Magnus pushed the door open further to see what had spooked his cat so.

 

A dog eyes as large as teacups sat there, it’s tongue lolling from its mouth. It looked like a chihuahua had grown about fifteen sizes too big - its proportions strangely disfigured. Magnus took a step forward and it growled menacingly. He held up his hands in a placating gesture.

 

“Good boy… Goooooood boy,” he coaxed. The dog’s hackles rose. Magnus saw that, by its feet, was a small treasure chest. 

 

This wasn’t some random stray dog that had wandered in front the street. It was part of the curse, he realised.

 

He wracked his brain, trying to remember what curse had large dogs and treasure chests.

 

“Oh what large eyes you have?” he tried, but the dog didn’t respond. He guessed it wouldn’t be original enough to have the same curse twice anyway. He backed up out of the door, closing it behind him.

 

What curse was it? What curse-

 

“Oh Hans, if only your stories hadn’t got so popular,” Magnus sighed, when he realised exactly which one it must be. 

 

The Tinderbox.

 

He slouched down the stairs, making half-hearted attempts to calling the Chairman back. Wherever the cat was, he was probably long gone now. He’d have to make posters later with a reward.

 

Magnus walked down the street to the local cooking supply shop. The owner was just opening up for the day, putting things out on the shelves and arranging them just so. A little bell rang as Magnus entered.

 

“I am in search of an apron that could be worn by a witch,” Magnus announced. The Mundane shopkeeper blinked at him and straightened. He was sure that this wasn’t the first strange request she’d had in her shop, but perhaps the fact he was still in his pajamas didn’t help her think he wasn’t crazy.

 

“An apron that could be worn by a witch?” she repeated, getting to her feet. She then put her business face on and disappeared into the back. The apron she returned with certainly looked… witchy. It was clearly from the Halloween stock that would be put out once summer was over.

 

It was decorated with black cats and broomsticks.

 

“Is this alright?” she asked. Magnus nodded and discreetly clicked his fingers. His wallet appeared in his pocket, something he was thankful for because he didn’t exactly want to have to steal the apron.

 

He paid quickly and returned to the house, climbing the stairs and opening the door. The dog looked up and gave him a warning snarl. Magnus hastily spread the apron out on the floor.

 

Like clockwork the dog got up, padded forward and curled up on the apron, leaving it’s treasure unguarded. Magnus darted forward, opening the chest. It was filled with copper. Useless cents, probably worth less in total than the chest that held them. Magnus closed the lid again with a sigh.

 

More growling came from his bedroom.

 

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” he protested, but crept back to the dog with eyes like tea cups and snatched back the apron. As he approached the second room he saw the next dog. It was bigger, a large black dog of indeterminate breed. It’s eyes were as large as water wheels and it dripped saliva onto his bed.

 

“Whoa there boy,” he said and lay out the apron once more. The dog crept forward and Magnus waited until it was definitely asleep before he moved forward again. This time the chest was full of nickels, hardly much better than the chest before. Magnus sighed and closed the lid.

 

And again with the growling, though he had expected it.

 

He stood up, carefully retrieving his apron and tiptoeing out of his bedroom and to the final room he had to check. The curse room.

 

The dog was so large that the proportions of the room seemed to have stretched to accommodate it. It’s eyes were as large as the circumference Rundetaarn, yellowed and bloodshot. It was clearly some kind of hound, it’s fur thick and grey. It’s snout was pointed, sharper and more wolflike than the others had been.

 

This was the Big One.

 

Magnus laid out the apron. He knew this was the last. He knew that this one, this last one, would be filled with gold.

 

The dog tried to move towards the apron, but knocked everything over on its way. Magnus winced as the table that was home to the curse book and the rose toppled over. He didn’t move though until the dog was settled, watching him with it’s large eyes. It seemed that this dog would not sleep.

 

Magnus walked forward, not pausing to pick up his overturned things. He wasn’t sure how long the dog would lay passive. With a heave he lifted the lid. Sure enough inside there was gold, more than he’d perhaps ever seen, but on the top was what Magnus guessed was the real treasure.

 

He had expected an old-fashioned tinderbox, but he was surprised when that wasn’t what was there. Instead it was a zippo lighter.

 

Well, things had to move with the times, he guessed. He was probably lucky the curse hadn’t moved so much with the times that it had given him a smartphone and a kooky dating app to work with.

 

He plucked the lighter from the chest and closed it.

 

Immediately the room shrank down to size, the dogs disappeared. All that was left to show what had happened was the lighter in his hand. He knew the curse wasn’t over yet though.

 

Magnus looked at it. Infinite wishes in the palm of his hand. No limits - that he knew of. A perfect magical tool for him to use.

 

He flicked the lighter open and lit the flame. The dog with eyes like tea cups appeared, looking at him curiously.

 

“I want the best pancakes in Brooklyn brought to me,” he said. The dog barked once and off it went.

 

Magnus smiled.

 

He was going to enjoy this very much.

 

*

 

“Raphael?” Simon poked his head through the door. Raphael was stood with his back to the door, straightening the lapels of his suit in the mirror. He turned to see Simon and there was a small smile on his face as he turned back to finish straightening himself out.

 

“What do you need, Simon?” he asked. Simon felt his brain go blank.

 

“I was wondering if… well,” Simon swallowed and tried to think of a way to say what he wanted to without sounding like a complete idiot. “I just wanted to talk really.”

 

Raphael turned to him and gave him a patient smile that Simon interpreted as ‘well hurry up then’. He nodded and stepped into the room properly, closing the door behind him.

 

“We never talked about… about that argument with Clary,” Simon said. Raphael’s expression shuttered and he walked to his dresser, selecting cufflinks without care.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. Simon fought the urge to back down, but  _ he _ needed to talk about it even if Raphael didn’t.

 

“Look, I know this isn’t… what you wanted. Or what I wanted. It’s not what anyone wanted. But the least you can do is be honest with me,” Simon said, taking a few steps forward. Raphael was still busying himself with his cufflinks and refusing to look at Simon at all.

 

“You’ve been different with me recently,” he continued and Raphael did look up then. His expression was cold, blank.

 

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m acting the same as I always did. Perhaps you just perceive it differently now?” Raphael replied. Simon clenched his fists. It was hard to argue against a point like that but he had to try.

 

“I’m not sure this is about perception, Raphael. I thought… I thought that we were close,” Simon couldn’t say what it was he thought that they might be becoming. He wasn’t sure if saying it aloud might be more than Raphael could take.

 

“We are as close as can be, Simon. As you said, what stronger bond can there be than sire and fledgling?” Raphael replied and the sarcasm that dripped from his lips was cloying. Simon wanted to reach out and strangle him.

 

“You’re more than just the vampire who made me, Raphael,” he said and cursed that his voice had become strangely soft. “I just… I thought I was more than just another fledgling to you.”

 

Raphael dropped one of the cufflinks he hadn’t yet threaded through his shirt onto the table and looked at Simon. It was one of those long looks that Simon had always thought was part of being a vampire, but now he realised was just one of Raphael’s personality quirks. The Measuring Look, he called it. The look Raphael gave someone before he chose which weak point to attack.

 

“I have faced guilt every day for sixty years. Every time I see you now, my guilt increases,” Raphael said. Simon could hear the weariness in his voice. “I suggested you become a vampire, I encouraged our friendship, I made you a target. Now you share this damned existence with me. That’s a guilt I will carry until I turn to dust.”

 

“You don’t have to carry that guilt!” Simon protested but Raphael held up his hand.

 

“It’s my fault. It’s my fault your family will die, and you’ll live on, an unchanged teenager. It’s my fault you have to drink the blood of mortals to survive. It’s my fault you will never again be able to be in the same room as your best friend without either thinking how good she might taste, or how likely she is to attack you!” Raphael snapped. “Do not talk to a Catholic about guilt, Simon. You will lose.”

 

“I’m Jewish so no, I don’t get it,” Simon replied. Raphael blinked at him for a moment then shook his head.

 

“That can’t be your legitimate comeback to that?” he asked. Simon shrugged.

 

“You want me to argue through each point? Why? So we can go round in circles for a few decades trying to figure out who’s to blame the most and where the guilt should lie?” Simon asked. Raphael opened his mouth so Simon hurried on before the other said something unfortunate. “Here and now, I’m here, trying to speak to you, trying to clear things up between us. If you’re feeling guilty, fine, I can’t stop you blaming yourself. But I can ask that you don’t take that out on  _ me _ .”

 

Raphael stared at him.

 

“I haven’t been mean to you,” Raphael pointed out obstinately. Simon rolled his eyes.

 

“We were practically dating and you went all ‘honor-bound friendship’ on me,” he said, then seeing Raphael’s eyes widen a little he held up his hands. “Oh I mean… Unless I misread the situation, which I totally might have done. I didn’t mean to say that I am against the friendzone or anything, I mean, that friendzone is great. I mean, there’s me and you in it, right? What could be-”

 

Raphael was suddenly in front of him, so close that Simon’s now enhanced eyesight could pick out every eyelash around his eyes. Simon was surprised to feel Raphael lean in, just a little, until his breath could be felt on Simon’s lips.

 

Simon closed the gap himself, pressing a closed mouth kiss against Raphael’s lips. He wasn’t sure how to kiss with his fangs yet (he’d barely had any practice  _ without _ his fangs), but he was pretty sure he couldn’t go wrong with something so chaste.

 

Raphael seemed pleased, pulling away after a few seconds. Simon was suddenly aware that Raphael’s hands were wrapped around his biceps, preventing him from moving too far away. He hesitantly raised his own hands to Raphael’s hips. He saw the other vampire’s eyes darken.

 

“ _ Es culpa mía… Yo no quería que pasase esto.  Por favor, perdóname,”  _ Raphael murmured. Simon blinked up at him, confused.

 

“Sure to whatever it is you just said,” he replied. Raphael smiled, though he looked almost sad, before resting his forehead against Simon’s.

 

“ _ Eres un idiota _ ,” Raphael said. Simon had a good idea what that meant.

 

*

 

Magnus was frustrated.

 

Alec had read all his messages, but hadn’t responded to a single one. He tried to push the thought from his mind that Alec was in some kind of danger and instead focused on the most obvious one - that for whatever reason Alec was avoiding him.

 

Well, he didn’t have to put up with that, did he?

 

He clicked the lighter open and the dog with the eyes like water wheels appeared. Magnus shuddered when he felt its hot breath on his face.

 

“Bring me Alec Lightwood. I want to see him,” he said. The dog immediately bounded away and so Magnus just waited, inspecting his nails.

 

Moments later the dog arrived with an Alec that looked disgruntled at behind dragged across New York by the collar.

 

“Magnus what  _ is _ this thing? It got through the wards of the Institute and I’m pretty sure it can make portals,” Alec said as he was put on his feet. “Is this a curse thing?”

 

Magnus looked Alec up and down. He didn’t look injured.

 

So he  _ had _ just been ignoring Magnus’ texts.

 

“Curse thing. As long as I have this-” Magnus held up the lighter. “-then they do my bidding.”

 

Alec looked at the lighter curiously for a moment before his expression clouded. It was like, for a second, he had forgotten he was angry, then he suddenly remembered he was. Magnus folded his arms over his chest, waiting for it.

 

“Well, if all you wanted was a display of your  _ power _ Magnus, you could have chosen someone who is less busy,” he said. Magnus pursed his lips.

 

“You’re not busy,” he replied. “You’re avoiding me.”

 

Alec scowled. “I think you’ll find I am, Magnus. What with Asmodeus still unaccounted for and everything that’s been going on lately, I’m really  _ super _ busy.”

 

“There’s something you don’t want to talk about,” Magnus pointed out and Alec gave him an annoyed glare.

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” he replied. Magnus rolled his eyes.

 

“Tell me,” he said, trying to make it sound more like a demand than it was. Deep down he suddenly felt afraid, afraid that he’d allowed himself to start feeling again for this Shadowhunter and he was about to-

 

“No,” Alec replied firmly. Magnus raised one finger.

 

“A-ha. So there is something,” he said. Alec threw his hands up in frustration.

 

“Alright! Fine! I know, OK? I know about the curse! I know about that stupid Beauty and the Beast thing! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! You didn’t tell me how you might  _ die _ just because we’re not in love,” Alec exploded. Magnus’ hand dropped to his side.

 

That was it, wasn’t it? The truth he had been carefully guarding, the truth that he had just been ready to share, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t done it in time, or perhaps should never have kept it a secret, and now… Now...

 

“You don’t think we can fall in love?” he asked. Alec’s expression shuttered.

 

“We both know that this curse has shown you who your True Love is already,” he said. Magnus felt like all the breath had left his lungs. 

 

“Alec, the future hasn’t been decided yet,” he said and cursed himself when his voice wavered.

 

“Is that what you tell yourself to allow you to sleep better?” Alec asked bitterly and he actually took a step away, as though Magnus had made any threatening move toward him. “You manipulated me Magnus. You withheld the truth from me and led me along, thinking I was keeping you safe, but all I was doing was damning you!”

 

“Alec, you’re being dramatic,” Magnus tried for confidence but his throat felt tight and his words were weak.

 

“No I’m not. This is over Magnus. Whatever… Whatever we were,” Alec made a dismissive gesture with his hand and Magnus felt something in his chest break as he realised, for perhaps the first time, that he had never once stopped to think about Alec’s needs in any of this.

 

“You were my boyfriend, Alec,” he said, a pleading tone to his voice that caused a shiver of disgust to go down his own spine. He had not begged Imasu or Etta or even Camille like this. What was  _ wrong _ with him?

 

“Yeah, well, you never asked me about that. Not really. And we’re not that, not anymore. We’re… we’re just a warlock and a shadowhunter,” Alec said and his tone was final.

 

“You don’t mean that,” Magnus tried and wondered why he was still talking, why he was still lowering himself this way.

 

“I do,” Alec replied and met Magnus’ eyes directly.

 

Magnus looked away. There was a heaviness in his chest that he hadn’t felt for many,  _ many _ years.

 

“Stay. Stay one night here with me. Let me convince you that this is the right thing for us,” Magnus said. He couldn’t look at Alec directly, but he saw Alec’s hand twitch. He took another step back but then seemed to steel himself.

 

“One night, Magnus. That’s all you have,” Alec replied and Magnus realised that no matter what the night brought, he wouldn’t be changing Alec’s mind.

 

*

 

Magnus had established a rule. They weren’t to talk about the fact that when the sun rose, Alec might leave. They weren’t allowed to talk about the curse. They weren’t allowed to discuss past lovers or shadowhunter business or anything that could potentially break the peace between them.

 

He’d hoped it would lead Alec to being more open, more willing to allow Magnus to demonstrate that he really  _ wanted _ this.

 

But Alec, though there in body, was far from there in spirit.

 

Alec had kissed him, ran hands along his body in a parody of the way they had made love the first time. He’d slid inside him with barely a sound and reached his completion with his head buried in Magnus’ shoulder, denying Magnus even the chance to commit his face to memory one last time.

 

They curled on the bed, Magnus’ head against Alec’s chest, listening to his heart beat.

 

Even if this wasn’t true love, it was clearly love, Magnus realised. He cared, he wanted, he felt a sense of despair at the thought it was over. It might not be the fairy tale kind, but it was  _ something _ . With a rising anger at himself, at the curse, he clutched Alec tighter.

 

An alarm went off.

 

It was 6am. Sunrise.

 

Neither he nor Alec had slept, just laid next to each other listening to the other breathe.

 

Alec carefully disentangled himself, sliding off the edge of the bed. Magnus looked at the line of his runed back, of the way his dark hair curled against his neck, of the way the sheets wrapped around his skin.

 

“Reconsider,” he whispered, reaching out and allowing his fingertips to run down Alec’s spine. Alec didn’t turn.

 

“Magnus-”

 

“ _ Please _ . Reconsider,” he repeated. Alec’s shoulders squared and he stood up, scooping his underwear from the floor and pulling them on.

 

“I’ll make sure the Institute keeps in touch about the condition of the curse,” Alec said and Magnus wished he could see his face.

 

“Alexander-”

 

“Good luck, Magnus,” Alec said and Magnus thought, for the first time, he heard something like regret in Alec’s voice. But then Alec was dressed and walking from the room. He shut the bedroom door behind himself and Magnus felt like it was a nail being hammered into a coffin.

 

He reached onto the bedside table, picking up the lighter and struck it.

 

The dog with eyes the size of the Round Tower appeared and sat, looking at him.

 

“Make it as if tonight never happened,” he whispered. The dog tilted its head to the side, confused. Perhaps it’s magic wasn’t complex enough to do that.

 

“Take away Alec’s memories of my curse,” he tried instead. The dog whined. Magnus sat up, hot, searing anger filling his chest.

 

“If you can’t do any of these things, what use are you? You useless hound!” he yelled and threw the lighter across the room. It shattered into its component parts and the dog slowly faded from view.

 

Magnus stared at the space it had inhabited.

 

“Bring him back,” he whispered, though he knew that the dog and whatever magic it had possessed had long since gone. He drew his knees up to his chest, resting his forehead on top of them.

 

“The future hasn’t been decided yet. Bring him  _ back _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Spanish in this is awaiting one of my friend's who is a native speaker to check it so it might not be entirely accurate.


	17. Pants on Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your nose grows?” Raphael asked, trying to keep the conversation on track. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Alec though, who looked like he was about to run across the room and potentially throw himself at Magnus. Or punch him. Raphael wasn’t quite sure which.
> 
> “Haven’t you noticed? It’s a full centimeter bigger,” Magnus replied, and there was a hint of his old self in there. Raphael’s enhanced eyesight could pick out the shuddering breath the Lightwood took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #thoughtswithorlando

“Magnus it is over. Please accept it,” Ragnor said, sitting on the edge of Magnus’ bed. The warlock hadn’t left his apartment in months. Summer had given way to Fall and yet Magnus’ melancholy had not lifted.

 

It was possible that the Lightwood boy had broken him in ways that Camille could have only dreamed of.

 

Ragnor was less convinced, as time passed, that his own meddling in this situation had truly been for the best. Magnus seemed no more likely to pursue Camille and break the curse than he had before, and he was downright  _ miserable _ about it to boot.

 

“I have no desire to get out of bed, Ragnor,” Magnus said from beneath his quilt. Ragnor sighed and awkwardly patted Magnus’ leg.

 

“Your shadowhunter is not going to come back to you just because you spent a season in bed,” he said and  _ that _ caused movement. Magnus sat up abruptly.

 

Ragnor realised he hadn’t seen Magnus without make-up on in centuries and the bareness of his friend’s face was perhaps the most unsettling thing.

 

“Come back?  _ Nothing _ will bring Alec back except Alec himself,” Magnus hissed.

 

“So you’ve tried to contact him then,” Ragnor replied. Magnus’ eyes skirted to the side before he handed Ragnor his phone.

 

Every day, at sunset, Magnus had sent a message to Alec. It was always the same.

 

“ _ The future hasn’t been decided yet _ ,” Ragnor read aloud. He remembered Magnus, fresh of his first real lay with the boy, telling him those words. But now it was repeated, day after day, to the boy’s inbox. Ragnor scrolled through, months and months worth.

 

Alec had stopped even reading them after the first few. Marked as sent but never read.

 

And yet still Magnus sent them.

 

“I am sorry, old friend,” Ragnor said. “If I had known the harm the boy could do-”

 

“Harm? He wasn’t the one who harmed me!” Magnus yelled, burying his hands into hair that had grown too long for it’s style. “I offered him a pretty picture. The Magnus Bane Show. And he bought it, he bought it and I never let him see the darkness, I never let him see the truth. I reap what I sow, my dear cabbage.”

 

“I do wish you’d let that nickname drop, Magnus,” Ragnor said, for lack of anything better to say. Magnus flopped back into his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

 

“The future hasn’t been decided yet,” Magnus repeated and Ragnor glanced down at the phone in his hands.

 

Perhaps… Perhaps it hadn’t.

 

*

 

“Alec, there’s some weird vampire activity I want you to look at,” Isabelle said, bringing up the footage on the monitors. She began to cut out the piece she specifically wanted him to look at but as she was doing so, she realised that her brother hadn’t moved an inch.

 

She turned to see him staring at his phone. He seemed focused on it. Intent.

 

A moment later, 18:47pm, just as the last of the sun’s rays died, his phone buzzed across the table. He closed his eyes until the screen had gone blank then reached over, picking it up and pocketing it without even looking at the screen.

 

Isabelle knew that look. It was a look she’d grown used recently. It was the look that said nothing and everything all at once. It was about Magnus Bane, the curse that ailed him, the curse that had driven her brother to remove himself from the warlock’s presence at a cost so great that from the looks of him, it was almost as though Magnus had died already.

 

“Alec?” she prompted. Alec looked at her, looking surprised to be called. She guessed he hadn’t heard her the first time. “Um… Can you take a look?”

 

“Sure,” he said and got to his feet. He watched the footage over her shoulder for a moment. When the video finished and looped she looked back to him for his opinion. He shrugged.

 

“I can’t say I saw anything that you didn’t Iz. It looked suspicious, but I can’t pin down anything specific,” he said. Isabelle nodded and then gnawed at her lip. She wanted to say something, say anything, but all the words she could think of had been said a thousand times before to no effect.

 

“You should question some Downworlders. If there is something weird going down, they’ll have heard about it before we have,” he suggested. Isabelle knew what he meant without him having to say it. He meant to go talk to Magnus, to find out if this was something related to the curse.

 

She hadn’t told Alec yet.

 

She hadn’t told him that Magnus was rejecting all help from the Institute, and in turn refusing to help them. She didn’t know how to break it to him. She was sure though, that he had to know, that even in his current state, he wasn’t completely blind and clueless.

 

“I’ll… see what I can do,” she said. Alec nodded and walked away to do whatever it was he did these days. Isabelle sometimes saw him sneaking out at odd hours, but whenever she asked she was coldly brushed off.

 

She picked up her phone and phoned the only Downworlder she could think of that was still mostly friendly to the Lightwoods.

 

“Simon, hi,” she said when he picked up.

 

“This is Raphael,” came the voice down the line. Isabelle grimaced. Raphael was far less likely to help. After the incident with Alec and Magnus, he had become even more hostile towards the shadowhunters than before, though Isabelle felt some of that probably stemmed to a small amount of jealousy towards Clary.

 

“Well, I was hoping to speak to Simon,” Isabelle replied trying to keep her tone professional. There was a small gasping sound that Isabelle wasn’t sure she wanted to know the source of.

 

“He’s busy,” Raphael replied. Isabelle wasn’t prone to blushing. She instead sighed.

 

“Couldn’t you have finished up first and called me back?” she asked. “It would have been polite.”

 

“What do you think we’re doing?” Raphael asked, sounding amused. Isabelle pursed her lips.

 

“I’m not sure I want to know what you’re doing to poor, innocent, sweet Simon,” she replied. Raphael snorted out a laugh.

 

“Sorry Shadowhunter, if we were doing  _ that _ , no one would have been answering the phone. He’s feeding though. Might be better to call back later,” Raphael said. Isabelle breathed out a sigh of relief.

 

“Thank you, Raphael,” she said. Raphael made a clicking noise with his tongue.

 

“Don’t take his help for granted though. Remember whatever mess you drag Simon into, I’ll be holding you personally responsible for. I’m not known to be very lenient,” he threatened. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

 

“Oh please. Spare me. As if I’d let anything happen to Simon,” she said. Raphael chuckled again.

 

“That’s what I like to hear,” he said and then there was a click as the phone disconnected.

 

Really, vampires were so  _ rude _ .

 

*

 

“Raphael, really, you’re doing us such a huge favor,” Ragnor said as he pushed Magnus into the lounge of the Hotel Dumort. Magnus shrugged him off. From what Raphael could tell, he was in no mood for drinking or parties, as Ragnor had suggested.

 

“If I didn’t like  _ you _ , Ragnor, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Raphael replied. Ragnor sighed.

 

“Well, you see, it’s a rather tricky situation. The curse has acted up again,” he explained. Magnus looked very interested in the fire. He hadn’t said a word. Raphael glanced at him. He hoped it was a curse of silence.

 

“So? Go to the Institute,” Raphael advised. Ragnor cast a worried glance in Magnus’ direction.

 

“That’s not an option that’s… available to us,” he said tactfully. Raphael sighed. He had heard that Magnus had taken his most recent break-up hard, but he hardly thought it would be worth risking life and limb over.

 

“So what’s the problem?” Raphael asked. Ragnor looked at Magnus, as though waiting for him to explain. The silence dragged on.

 

“Oh… Well, you see, the thing is-”

 

The door to the lounge opened again and in sauntered Isabelle Lightwood. Raphael had forgotten that she had arranged to visit Simon. It would have been bad enough it were her alone, but she had brought her brother along for the journey it seemed.

 

“Oh,” Isabelle drew up short. Her brother, who had been paying attention to nothing it seemed, walked into her and then shook himself. The moment his eyes made contact with Magnus’ form, silhouetted against the fireplace, Raphael saw a look he had rarely seen in his lifetime. A look so full of longing and worry and sheer love that it made him feel voyeuristic just to have caught it.

 

“Magnus, you look… well,” Isabelle’s hesitancy might have been missed by people who didn’t know her, but Raphael knew everyone in the room picked up on it. Magnus turned from the fireplace and his expression didn’t change, even when he looked at Alec.

 

“I can’t lie. It’s the Pinocchio curse,” he said and Raphael realised his intention was to ignore the two shadowhunters completely.

 

“Your nose grows?” Raphael asked, trying to keep the conversation on track. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Alec though, who looked like he was about to run across the room and potentially throw himself at Magnus. Or punch him. Raphael wasn’t quite sure which.

 

“Haven’t you noticed? It’s a full centimeter bigger,” Magnus replied, and there was a hint of his old self in there. Raphael’s enhanced eyesight could pick out the shuddering breath the Lightwood took.

 

“Prove it,” Raphael replied.

 

“Oh now really, Raphael-” Ragnor interjected by Magnus took a step away from the fireplace.

 

“The sky is pink and full of rainbows made of cotton candy,” he said.

 

His nose grew at least a centimeter, if not more.

 

“Well, shit,” Raphael said, trying not to laugh but unable to hold back a small chuckle. “Maybe I can finally find out how old you are now?”

 

“Nice try. I can still avoid the truth,” Magnus replied and folded his arms. “I was hoping you had some tips on conscience. It was Pinocchio’s way out after all.”

 

Isabelle Lightwood took a step forward. Her heel clicked on the marble of the floor. Involuntarily, Magnus’ eyes seemed drawn to her. His expression seemed stretched.

 

“Magnus, do you want the Institute’s help? We have researchers who would be able to-”

 

“I think shadowhunters probably know the least about a Downworlder’s soul,” Magnus snapped. Isabelle drew up short, perhaps not expecting the venom.

 

“Don’t talk to her that way,” Alec said, speaking for the first time since he’d arrived. His voice sounded flat.

 

Raphael heard a door click open and Simon stepped into the room. He took in the scene, gave Raphael a wide eyed look, and quickly excused himself again. Raphael did not blame him. No one else in the room even appeared to notice.

 

“I didn’t call the Institute here,” Magnus replied.

 

“Ah, no, that would be Simon. He agreed to help Isabelle with something earlier. I just.... Wasn’t expecting this crowd,” Raphael said. Magnus was staring Alec down, but the Lightwood wasn’t flinching under the stare anymore.

 

“So you can’t lie right now, right?” Alec asked. Raphael sensed danger but Magnus seemed to not sense it at all.

 

“That’s what I said, isn’t it? You have a habit of not listening to me, Lightwood,” Magnus said and he said Alec’s surname like it was a curse. Even Alec seemed taken aback by the vehemence in the word. He collected himself quickly.

 

“Have you spoken to Camille?” Alec asked. Raphael looked between the two of them. The silence dragged. Magnus had to know that to refuse to answer would look just as bad as to give an untruthful one.

 

“No,” he said. His nose remained the same size.

 

“Why not?” Alec pressed. Isabelle looked distressed.

 

“Alec, this is wrong. You shouldn’t be doing this-” she said, but her brother took a step forward.

 

“Tell me Magnus. How suicidal  _ are _ you that you’d waste this chance to live?” Alec ploughed on. Ragnor stepped between him and Magnus in that moment, eyes blazing.

 

“How  _ dare _ you, Lightwood!” the green warlock roared and Raphael sensed things were going to swiftly come to blows unless he did something.

 

“There’s a time and a place for these kinds of conversations, I think,” he interjected. “And you know, when you have an audience and you’re both about to either hate fuck on my rug or possibly beat each other to death before the curse can finish it’s job, probably isn’t the best moment.”

 

Every eye in the room turned to him. He shrugged.

 

“Just calling what I can see. Now why don’t the Lightwoods go do their Institute business and I’ll see what I can do to help out the warlocks?” Raphael asked and wondered when  _ he _ had become the reasonable one.

 

“Good idea!” Isabelle said and grabbed her brother’s shoulder, steering him forcibly out of the room. Magnus watched them go and only when they were gone did his shoulders sag. He all but collapsed in front of the fire, clutching his chest tightly.

 

“I forgot how much it hurts, Ragnor. I forgot how much it hurts to love and lose but still have that person in your life,” he whispered. Raphael shook his head.

 

This whole situation was a mess.

 

“Magnus, you rest here. I’m going to take Ragnor to have a talk with some of the older vampires who had to relearn things about consciences. We’ll be back,” he promised. Magnus appeared not to hear him. Ragnor shrugged and gestured for Raphael to lead the way.

 

Raphael did, but not before one final look at Magnus, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, broken utterly by love.

 

*

 

Alec made it about halfway down the corridor before he dug his heels in. Isabelle stubbornly pulled on his arm a little but she couldn’t get him to move.

 

“Iz, I have to talk to him. This might be my only chance to get… closure,” Alec said. “The pure, unadulterated truth.”

 

Her eyes were filled with reproach.

 

“You would kick him while he’s down for yourself, brother?” she asked. Alec looked away.

 

“It would be no worse than what he did to me,” he replied. Isabelle suddenly seemed much taller.

 

“He did nothing. You fall in love with people on your own, Alec,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “Magnus Bane, for better or worse, was always himself. You just failed to see it and then blamed him for mistakes that both of you made together.”

 

“You don’t know the truth of it, Isabelle,” Alec replied and Isabelle shook her head.

 

“You are not the man I thought you were if you go back there to interrogate a man who cannot lie to you. You are not the shadowhunter I thought you were,” she said. “You are meant to protect, not make people’s lives worse to better your own.”

 

“I have to know,” Alec said. Isabelle stared at him, dark eyes angry but then she folded her arms and turned away.

 

“I won’t fight my brother,” she said softly. “But I’ll condemn your actions. You’ll find no solace from me, no matter what you find out.”

 

Alec didn’t wait for her to say anything more, turning on his heel and entering the lounge once more. Magnus was alone, sat by the fireplace, lost in thought. He looked up when Alec entered and his eyes narrowed.

 

“Where’s Isabelle?” Magnus asked and Alec thought he could sense panic in his voice.

 

“With Simon. Raphael was right. We do need to talk. Alone,” Alec said. Magnus got to his feet.

 

“I have nothing to say to you,” he said, and then his nose grew. Alec stared at it. Magnus reached up and rubbed his nose, as though trying to force it back to it’s normal size again.

 

“Why haven’t you spoken to Camille?” Alec asked. Stubborn silence met his answer. He tried a different track.

 

“Why have you messaged me every day? I made it clear that you should be doing everything you can to save yourself.”

 

Again, silence. It seemed that Magnus had decided to play dumb rather than answer any questions. Alec realised there was an easier way to get answers. A yes or no question would leave Magnus no room to maneuver and he would either have to answer, or Alec would know it was the worse of the two options.

 

“Don’t you love her, Magnus?” he asked. Magnus met his eyes then.

 

“No,” Magnus said firmly. “I don’t.” His nose didn’t grow. He was telling the truth.

 

Alec felt like the breath had been stripped from him.

 

“Could you love her again?” he asked. Magnus’ cat eyes were blown wide.

 

“What is with these infernal questions? Just ask what you truly want to know, Alexander!” he snapped. Alec hadn’t realised that he was holding back until that moment.

 

“Do you love me? Is that what’s holding you back?” he asked.

 

Magnus seemed taken aback by the question, but his gaze softened.

 

“The ultimate question to ask someone who cannot lie,” he said and Alec thought his hands might be shaking.

 

“Magnus, answer the question,” he pushed. Magnus looked him square in the eye.

 

“You stupid, Nephilim, of course-”

 

Whatever else Magnus had been about to say was interrupted by all hell breaking loose. Vampires seemed to swarm from everywhere, some of them Alec recognised as belonging to the Hotel Dumort, but others were foreign to him.

 

He fought his way through them all, trying to spare the ones he recognised, and finally reached Magnus’ side. The warlock was holding his own, though barely. When Alec reached him he nodded.

 

“We have a choice to make,” Magnus said. “Help your sister or fight our way to Raphael,” he said. Alec thought about it.

 

“Raphael and Ragnor are both powerful enough. Isabelle is with Simon. I don’t know about you, but I think she’s got the roughest deal when it comes to fighting partners,” Alec said. Magnus nodded to show he agreed.

 

The vampires around them were still scrapping, Raphael’s against the intruders. Magnus kept close to Alec’s side as they tried to make their way to the door that led them into the bowels of the Hotel Dumort.

 

They were almost at the door when Magnus felt a strong hand grab his hair, pulling him back and off balance. He had barely raised a cry of startlement when Alec had moved past him, burying his blade up to the hilt in what could only have been the face of the waiting vampire.

 

Magnus felt the grip on his hair loosen and he stumbled forward. He nodded to Alec, who gave him a stern nod back.

 

Another life debt to the Lightwood.

 

*

 

“So, have you two done it yet?” Isabelle asked as he whip darted out and caught one of their attackers across the face.

 

“Is now really the time Izzy?” Simon asked, trying to stay out of her way but at the same time not get too far away from her. Raphael had been slowly teaching him to fight, but he was nowhere near the level to be able to take these guys out.

 

“Well, I’m curious. Raphael doesn’t seem like the kind to keep it in his pants but all that  _ Catholicism _ must come out somewhere,” Isabelle drawled. Simon scowled.

 

“I’m not talking to you about this,” he said firmly.

 

“Spoilsport,” Isabelle replied.

 

The door banged open and an arrow arched through the air before embedding itself into the neck of a vampire.

 

“Izzy!” Alec called.

 

“Alec!” Isabelle replied, breaking into a smile. Simon looked at the door to see Alec and Magnus, bows and magic at the ready.

 

“And I’m Simon. Let’s get this show on the road,” he called. Between the four of them the remaining vampires were quickly dusted. Simon tried not to think too much about how that could have easily been him.

 

“Do you know where they came from?” Magnus asked once the final vampire dropped. 

 

“Not a clue but if I had to guess I’d say they were part of the same clan that attacked me,” Simon said. He couldn’t say for sure, but it was the only link he could think of.

 

“This makes no sense,” Isabelle murmured. She wrapped up her whip around her hand, eyes still surveying the scene.

 

“It does if your aim is to take down Camille,” Magnus replied, expression grim.

 

“You think Camille is the target? But the last attack was to implicate Raphael,” Simon replied, scratching the back of his head.

 

“Who is her second-in-command and who possibly commands more respect than she does. If he was disgraced, it would also disgrace her,” Magnus replied. He stepped over a pile of dust, raising his hands and using his magic to right the mess the room had become. The dust disappeared out of the door and Simon didn’t want to ask where it was going.

 

“Who would want to bring down Camille?” Isabelle asked.

 

“Would you like the list alphabetically or chronologically?” Magnus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

 

“Right…” Alec said, putting his remaining arrow in his quiver now the threat had passed. Simon saw Magnus and Alec share a look, one that was far from friendly, and dusted off his hands.

 

“Let’s find Ragnor and Raphael,” he said, pointing to the door.

 

“You look worried,” Isabelle said, a smile stretching across her face. Simon rolled his eyes.

 

“I’m not worried about Raphael being alive. I’m just worried about whether or not he ruined his jacket. He  _ really _ likes his jackets,” Simon replied flippantly.

 

“You two are  _ so  _ married,” Isabelle quipped and Simon shook his head, though he couldn’t help but smile.

 

“That would imply a consummated union,” he teased.

 

“I  _ knew _ it! You haven’t done it yet!” Isabelle said, looking pleased with herself. Simon shrugged, opening the door for her to walk past. Honestly, he would rather talk about this than give Alec and Magnus a chance to go at each other.

 

“We’re going slow. Got eternity and all that,” he replied with a sheepish smile. Isabelle quirked an eyebrow and was about to reply when Magnus breezed past her, blue fire dancing on his fingertips in readiness.

 

“Fascinating as this talk on your sex life is, Simon, could we focus on the task at hand?” Magnus said and though there was fondness in his voice, Simon guessed that Magnus just wanted them both to shut up.

 

“Yeah, right, sorry. This way is a short cut,” he said, tapping a panel on the wall and opening it up to reveal a passageway. Magnus didn’t even comment, just climbing in and starting to cautiously make his way through.

 

Simon glanced at Isabelle, who shrugged.

 

“I’ll bring up the rear,” Alec offered, though Simon thought it might be due to wanting to avoid Magnus more than anything else.

 

Simon carefully navigated the dark passageway, only talking to whisper directions to Magnus. When they finally got to where he estimated Raphael and Ragnor would be, he pushed his way to the front and used his vampire strength to break through the panelling, splintering the wood.

 

He crawled out first, only to be grabbed by the throat and shoved up against the wall. Raphael’s snarling face filled his vision for a moment before Raphael blinked.

 

“Simon!” Raphael quickly let go of him. Simon grinned and pulled him into a hug. Raphael suffered it stiffly. He still wasn’t big on public displays of affection.

 

“Raph! Thank G-God you’re alright!” Simon forced out. He was still having trouble with the word.

 

“You doubted me?” Raphael asked, drawing back and giving Simon a grin that made his stomach do a weird flop.

 

“No, not really but Ragnor could have screwed up or something,” Simon replied lightly. Ragnor scowled at him from across the room.

 

“So what are we dealing with here?” Simon asked. The others were climbing out of the hole Simon had busted in the wall now, bits of splintered wood in their hair.

 

“No idea. They are all strangers to me, carry no distinguishing marks, no identity cards or even phones. They were clearly sent here as assassins,” Raphael replied, folding his arms and looking thoughtful.

 

“Did you get a chance to find out anything about the curse?” Magnus asked once he was through the wall.

 

“Sorry, Magnus, we didn’t have time,” Raphael replied, shrugging. “There was an emergency after all. And I’m pretty sure some of my people died.”

 

“I guess I’ll just wait for the Blue Fairy to turn up-” Magnus mused, choosing to ignore Raphael’s comment about the vampires. Simon had never really noticed how selfish Magnus could be before. He glanced at Ragnor for some kind of condemnation but Ragnor’s face was lit up with inspiration.

 

“Did you say blue?” Ragnor asked.

 

“Yes, why?” Magnus replied, waving his hands in an elaborate gesture and fixing the wall they’d come through.

 

“My dear friend, Catarina is blue,” Ragnor said. Magnus turned, quirking an eyebrow.

 

“You’re suggesting I go to therapy with Catarina?” he asked. Ragnor shrugged.

 

“This curse works in weird ways,” he said. Magnus opened his mouth to reply but Raphael held up his hand.

 

“Sorry to get back to the matter at hand, but my people were just attacked. If you’re not here to help us, you had better leave,” he said. Magnus gave him a calculating look.

 

“Adeiu,” he said and walked from the room. Simon watched him go, shaking his head. He understood that Magnus had a curse to battle but-

 

“We’ll help out,” Alec said. Simon guessed that might be another reason why Magnus had decided to run.

 

“As will I,” Ragnor volunteered. Isabelle merely nodded her agreement.

 

Raphael looked pleased.

 

“First let’s check there aren’t any left in my house.”

 

*

 

“Tell me what you’re thinking Magnus.”

 

Catarina was sat with a notebook and a pen. She was even wearing glasses without any lenses. She was obviously taking this very seriously. Magnus was having a tougher time with it though.

 

“That life fucks us all and then we die, my dear,” he replied. Catarina snorted.

 

“How… morbid.”

 

“You asked.”

 

“Well, Pinocchio was able to become a real boy again once he had some kind of emotional breakthrough and I read some Wikipedia articles on psychology today, so I think we’re ready to make some real progress today,” she replied sarcastically. Magnus shot her a small smile.

 

“You fill me with confidence, Catarina,” he said and sighed when his nose grew a little longer.

 

“Ah, you see, your nose just grew. Let’s talk about your trust in your friends,” Catarina said, her eyes sparkling. Magnus shifted uncomfortably.

 

“I’d rather not,” he admitted.

 

“And that’s the truth. So why is it so hard for you to talk to us, Magnus? Why is it so hard to share something?” she pressed. Magnus realised that he had made a terrible error.

 

“Catarina, it is not hard to share things with you or Ragnor, you are my oldest, dearest friends,” he said. His nose didn’t grow and for that he was grateful.

 

“But with the others it’s hard?” Catarina pressed on.

 

“They always end up hurting me,” Magnus said. His nose didn’t grow. Another truth, or at least one he believed to be true enough.

 

“Mortals always will,” Catarina said calmly. Magnus sighed.

 

“And some immortals,” he said, thinking of Camille.

 

“And some immortals, yes. Is it because you look for meaningful relationships more with mortals than immortals that you find it harder to share things with them?” Catarina asked. Magnus frowned and crossed his arms.

 

“Catarina…”

 

“Answer the question Magnus.”

 

“I hate this,” he admitted, trying to buy himself time to say what he wanted to say.

 

“Answer,” she said and her tone said there would be no continuing unless he said something.

 

“I don’t go  _ looking _ for doomed relationships,” he protested.

 

“And yet you always seem to find them,” Catarina shot back.

 

“Yes,” he acknowledged. Catarina sighed and put her notepad down, discarding the fake glasses and taking his hand.

 

“Can I ask something?” she asked. Magnus didn’t like how this was going. “Did you love him?”

 

Magnus was silent for a while before he met her eyes.

 

“Catarina, there’s only one person who should hear the answer to that,” he said, and his nose shrank back to it’s normal size.

 

*

 

His door opened without so much as a knock. Magnus looked up from where he had been lying on the couch absently stroking the Chairman’s soft fur. He heard the sound of boots on laminate flooring and knew who it was before he even entered the room.

 

“It’s the dead of night. Have you come to grill me once more about Camille?”

 

Alec Lightwood looked as dashingly handsome as he had ever done. His blue eyes were sharp, focused. His dark hair was messy, falling about his eyes. His runes stood out along the lines of the muscles on his arms. He stood tall, ready to fight his case.

 

Magnus felt his heart twist unpleasantly in his chest.

 

“I… Our conversation was interrupted,” Alec said, still unable to get his words out properly, even when he had no doubt rehearsed what he wanted to say.

 

“It was,” Magnus conceded. He picked up Chairman Meow and set him on the floor, brushing cat hair from his clothes absently.

 

“I want you to answer me,” Alec said, more firmly this time. Magnus got to his feet and raised his chin.

 

“I loved you, Alexander,” he conceded. Alec’s eyes searched his face for a moment before the shadowhunter turned slightly away.

 

“Past tense,” he said and Magnus wished more than anything that things weren’t like this. Even so, to allow Alec power over him again… To allow him to hurt him...

 

“Perhaps,” Magnus said. Alec’s eyes shot to his face.

 

“Even now, you still won’t give me a straight answer,” he said and his voice shook from some restrained emotion that Magnus didn’t know how to place.

 

“I’ve been around since the pyramids. Not even Cleopatra herself could get straight answers from me,” he replied, trying to keep the conversation flippant, trying to act like he didn’t care because if, for even a second, he allowed Alec to have the upperhand in this conversation, he knew that he would spend the rest of the night on the back foot, giving in to all the shadowhunter’s stupid demands.

 

“Your nose… It didn’t grow. It’s back to normal size,” Alec said suddenly. Magnus frowned.

 

“Oh, no, me and Catarina broke the curse earlier,” he said with a wave of his hand. Suddenly Alec looked furious.

 

“You… You can’t help yourself can you? Playing with me like I’m a pet?” he asked, setting his shoulders back. Magnus let out a humorless laugh. Of course, the Lightwood would make it about himself.

 

“What part of this is play, Alexander? I’ve been truthful with you,” Magnus said, taking a step forward. Alec took a step back.

 

“How can I be sure? How can I be sure that this isn’t just you trying to…  _ confuse _ me?” Alec asked. Magnus hadn’t thought he could hurt more than he already did, but somehow, Alec managed to make things worse.

 

“I can’t make you believe me. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do,” Magnus said and tried to push the hurt down so it wouldn’t show on his face. They were punishing each other, punishing themselves, and it didn’t have to be this way.

 

“Alec, there is only three months left of this curse. I will not develop feelings for Camille in that time,” he tried to reason. Alec’s eyes flashed with anger.

 

“So I should just forget it all? Be with you like…. Like a death sentence isn’t hanging over your head?” Alec snarled.

 

“If I were terminally ill with some other illness, it would be seen as the noble thing to do,” Magnus replied. Alec took a step forward and this time it was Magnus’ turn to take a startled step back. The move had been so quick, so filled with anger that his instinctive response had been to flee.

 

“No. To die when there is a cure readily available is stupid, not noble,” Alec’s voice was low.

 

“I will never love Camille again,” Magnus told him, refusing to back down no matter how much Alec wanted him to.

 

“The curse says you will. I can’t help your own stubbornness Magnus,” Alec replied, and the bitterness in his tone belonged to a much older man.

 

“Oh to be young and have all the answers,” Magnus couldn’t help but snap back.

 

“Please, Magnus. Please for me. Try. Just try to be with her,” Alec begged and Magnus could see, he truly thought that this was the best course of action. But if he’d just  _ listen _ ...

 

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Magnus replied, remembering the night all those years ago when Camille had left, how he had felt then, how he had felt he could never love another so strongly and how wrong he had been.

 

“If you die, there’s no chance for us at all,” Alec’s desperation was palpable.

 

“You think if I fall hopelessly in love with Camille again, that I’d be prepared to cheat on her with you? You think my love is so weak, so easily broken?” Magnus asked, incredulity filling every space in his heart that wasn’t broken. Alec seemed to realise what he’d implied because he took a step backwards, his hands raised.

 

“That’s not what I-”

 

“Is it because she is a woman then?” Magnus asked, advancing, eyes narrowed.

 

“What? No!” Alec protested.

 

“Because she’s a downworlder? You think it’s easier to betray a person you love because of what they are?” Magnus pressed on. Alec’s gaze was darting around the room, clearly looking for an escape route.

 

“Magnus that’s not what I-”

 

“You come here, you talk of love and sacrifice. Great poetry that could be written across the stars. But in the end, you’re just a child, aren’t you? You think so simply on these matters. You forget that there is so much more to the story than what you see,” Magnus hissed. He was right in front of Alec now, close enough to reach out and touch him. It was a shame that all Magnus wanted to do in that moment was throttle the life out of him.

 

“Then  _ tell _ me-”

 

“No, Alec. I don’t need to tell you. I don’t need to make you understand. I think you should leave,” Magnus growled. He couldn’t think straight right now. He needed time, time to think, time to get his head around what Alec was asking, what they both meant to each other, what Camille and the curse and everything-

 

“The life debts you owe me. I’m calling them in. They’re to be repaid in full by you trying your hardest to end this curse, to be with Camille,” Alec said and everything in Magnus’ head that had been spinning around went still.

 

He looked at Alec’s face to see the other looked just as startled as he did. Perhaps Alec had not meant to say it, perhaps he had not meant to make it such a formal request, it did not matter now.

 

Magnus turned aside, not even able to look at him.

 

“For all that we once were, and for all that we could have been, I will do as you ask, Alexander Lightwood. The life debts will be repaid,” he said, his voice flat.

 

“Thank you,” Alec said and he reached out, as though to take Magnus’ shoulder. The warlock quickly sidestepped the action.

 

“Do not thank me for condemning us both to misery, Alec,” Magnus felt empty.

 

“I’m sorry then,” Alec tried but Magnus shook his head.

 

“As I said, it is time for you to leave,” he gestured, vaguely, to the door.

 

Alec did as he was asked and left. Magnus stared at the wall until he was gone. Chairman Meow curled around his legs. He closed his eyes and, with a shaking hand, he withdrew his phone from his pocket.

 

He went down to ‘H’, where he had Camille’s number stored in his phone as “Heartless Bitch (Never Dial)” and with a sense of finality, he dialed the number.

 

“Magnus?”

 

Camille’s voice came down the line. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and donned the mask of capriciousness he had worn for centuries.

 

“Ah, yes, Camille, it’s me. I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight? I heard about the attack on the Hotel Dumort and I was filled with worry…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm interested to know which of the two (Magnus or Alec) you think is being more reasonable (with the knowledge they have available to them, of course). I've tried to balance out their reasoning so there's no one 'right' side but I feel I'm being a little too weighted towards one side. If you could just let me know in the comments, that'd be great :D


	18. Vogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well he’s kind of…” Simon let out a nervous giggle. “He’s walking through the streets of Brooklyn completely naked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments on the last chapter! Here is the next chapter: Vogue.

“So Magnus is staying at the Hotel Dumort now…” Simon said, sitting down at Taki’s and ordering the blood shake.

 

“What?” Clary did a double-take. They were all there - shadowhunters, himself, Raphael and Ragnor- a weekly check in to make sure that things were good between the shadowhunters and the Downworld. Simon felt Raphael press his thigh against his leg.

 

“Yeah. He and Camille seem to have this weird… thing going on,” Simon continued. Alec’s face looked pale.

 

“He’s helping us restructure now that we have fewer vampires left,” Raphael cut in and Simon was glad that he had the sense to see that Alec wasn’t himself.

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not all he’s doing,” Isabelle said and she sounded angry but the way she looked at Alec made Simon wonder who her fury was directed at.

 

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t his idea either,” Ragnor said. “You may stay silent, Alec Lightwood, but I know you played a hand in this.”

 

Alec straightened in his chair, trying for nonchalance and failing.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ragnor,” he lied. Simon glanced around the table and saw that everyone could tell that it was far from the truth.

 

“You do not have Magnus’ gift for lying,” Ragnor pointed out. It was Jace though, who looked most taken aback.

 

“Alec, you… You orchestrated this somehow?” he asked. Alec looked away.

 

“I don’t want to talk about any of it,” he said, closing off the conversation firmly. Simon was about to say something more when Isabelle reached and took his hand. He felt Raphael’s hand on his knee under the table squeeze his thigh slightly.

 

“Does Magnus seem… happy?” she asked. Simon dropped his hand down to his lap, prying away Raphael’s possessive fingers.

 

“That would be like asking a statue if it was happy. I haven’t seen an expression on his face since he arrived,” Simon replied. Clary sighed and sat back in her chair.

 

“At least Magnus is finally taking the curse seriously,” she said, though she didn’t look convinced by her own words.

 

“Yes. It seems so, doesn’t it?” Ragnor replied, voice dry and skeptical.

 

“Ragnor, you don’t seem convinced,” Raphael said and Simon wondered if the two of them had talked about this before when he wasn’t around. They both had a vested interest in Magnus after all.

 

“I am in no doubt that Camille was Cinderella, and at the time, I thought it was the curse trying to tell us what to do next, the way to break it. But I have my doubts now. Even if it were true, there may not be enough time left for Magnus to forgive Camille… or thaw her heart,” Ragnor said and Simon saw both his boyfriend’s and the warlock’s eyes zero in on Alec, who was staring fixedly at the salt pot.

 

“It’s a better chance than zero,” Alec replied without even looking up, his voice flat.

 

“Alec…” Isabelle’s tone was so pitying that Simon saw a shiver of some raw emotion go down Alec’s back.

 

“I’m going for a walk,” he said, getting to his feet and walking away.

 

“Nice going, you two,” Simon hissed. “Did that go just as planned?”

 

“He has to take ownership of his own life, his own actions,” Ragnor said and gazed at the back of Alec’s back sadly. “At least now he is thinking.”

 

*

 

“If we’re going together, we absolutely must match.”

 

“Whatever you wish, my dear.”

 

Magnus tried to sound enthusiastic as Camille pulled dresses from her wardrobe, holding them up against herself.

 

“Do you have something in turquoise?” she asked. Magnus forced a smile onto his face.

 

“Of course. A deep or pastel shade?” he asked. He preferred the deep turquoise shirt he had, but he knew better than to tell Camille he had any such preference. He was supposed to be working at making her love him.

 

Him loving her… Perhaps that would come back in time?

 

“Pastel of course, with my coloring a deep turquoise, really Magnus?” she gave him a condescending look that he took without complaint.

  
  


“Of course, how stupid of me,” he might as well have been a subjugate for all the opinion he got to have these days.

 

“You seem down,” Camille said, turning fully to him. Magnus sensed the danger in the question. If Camille had noticed enough to care about his mental state then it really was bad.

 

“I assure you, I’m quite alright. I am just distracted with thoughts of fashion,” he said. Camille threw her dress aside and walked over to him.

 

“Well, come here. Let me reassure you that you look wonderful,” she purred, throwing her arms around his shoulders. He dutifully wrapped his arms around her waist, as he had done countless times before her mere presence caused him to draw back in revulsion.

 

“Yes, dear.”

 

*

 

“What do you want, Raphael?” Alec asked. He was leaning against the wall outside Taki’s, trying to clear his head, trying to understand his own point of view, Magnus’, everyone’s.

 

“I don’t understand you,” Raphael said after a moment.

 

“That’s fine. I didn’t aim to be understood,” he replied. And the truth of it was he didn’t truly understand himself either.

 

“You drive him away, push him to breaking point… Out of love?” Raphael continued, not willing to let the subject drop. Alec groaned and turned to face Raphael.

 

“Just because you’ve discovered what it’s like to be in a relationship recently, don’t feel you have the right to lecture me,” he said.

 

Some mundanes on the street stopped to stare at them. He grabbed Raphael’s arm, moving them down a side alley and away from the general public. If they started to fight, it would not be good for the mundanes to see them.

 

“You stupid shadowhunter. I don’t do this for you,” Raphael hissed, pulling his arm from Alec’s grasp sharply once they were out of sight.

 

“You do it for Magnus, and so do I,” Alec said. Raphael barked out a laugh.

 

“You don’t know Camille. You don’t understand her. You don’t understand how she’ll toy with him, how she’ll play with him but how in the end, she’ll  _ never _ love him,” he said, advancing forward and sticking his finger into Alec’s chest, hard to accent his point. Alec wasn’t intimidated.

 

“The curse disagrees with you,” he replied.

 

“Where? Where is it written that Camille and Magnus will end up together? Where was it decided? What star shone in the sky? What prophecy did you hear?” Raphael asked, sounding incredulous.

 

“All the evidence-”

 

“So you think it’s logic that drives you?” Raphael asked.

 

“What else would it be?” Alec replied, refusing to back down, refusing to be made to feel inferior by someone who didn’t know what it was like to be in his situation at all.

 

“Fear,” Raphael said and Alec felt something inside him break a little.

 

“I don’t want Magnus to die,” he conceded but Raphael snarled, getting further up in his face.

 

“Yes but if he lived because of you, you would have to hide who you were until you died, wouldn’t you? Or come out. I noticed that the majority of shadowhunters here seem to have a gross lack of understanding on why a shadowhunter and a downworlder would have a relationship, nevermind a gay one,” he snarled, grabbing the front of Alec’s t-shirt and dragging him forward. Alec reflexively reached out, grabbing onto Raphael’s shoulders to try to push him away.

 

“You don’t understand anything about me,” Alec hissed.

 

“How many people know about you and Magnus? Your parabatai, your closest friends, a scattering of downworlders… You run away from your problems just as much as Magnus does-”

 

“It didn’t factor into my decision at all!” Alec yelled.

 

“Really? Are you sure?” Raphael countered, his hand twisting in the fabric. “You know, at first, I envied you both. It seemed like you had a love that was written for you. Yes, it was hard, but you both seemed so determined to save each other. Now I see that what I have with Simon, well, it’s worth ten of whatever it was you felt for Magnus.”

 

“Let go of me,” Alec struggled against Raphael’s vice grip on his clothes. He didn’t want to listen to this. He didn’t have to listen to this. It wasn’t true. None of it was true!

 

“If he dies, you will never rid yourself of that guilt, Lightwood. It will be with you until you die,” Raphael’s voice was low, dangerous and Alec struggled more, trying desperately to push him away.

 

“I said LET GO!”

 

“Alec? What’s going on in here?”

 

It was Simon. He was stood at the end of the alley. Raphael quickly let go of Alec’s shirt and took a few steps back. Alec tried to straighten out his clothes.

 

“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving. Come on Simon,” he said, walking away. Simon held back though a little, looking at Alec with wide-eyes.

 

“What was that about?” he asked.

 

“Nothing. It was… Raphael just poking an open wound that’s all,” Alec replied, realising he sounded slightly breathless from his struggles.

 

“Alec…” Simon said, and again, it was that same condescending, pitying tone that Magnus had used.

 

“Stop saying my name in that tone, all of you. I’ve had enough. I just want to be left alone! Is that so much to ask?!” Alec shouted. Simon held up his hands.

 

“Alright, alright I’m leaving,” he said.

 

And he did.

 

*

 

Magnus walked back to the room that he had claimed as his own. He was spending so much time at the Hotel Dumort recently that he had moved many of his things into the place. Including the turquoise shirt that Camille wanted him to wear so much.

 

He was almost at his room when he heard a sound. He turned to see a man, older than any of the vampires, at the end of the corridor. The man gave him a frightened look.

 

“Apologies. Mistress says I’m not to be seen by anyone,” the man said and Magnus’ skin crawled. A subjugate.

 

“Who is your mistress?” he asked. Really, for the man to be so old, it was probably someone of relative age who had been unable to kill the man past his prime and was now hiding him away like some aged pet.

 

“Camille Belcourt of course,” the man replied. Magnus took a deep breath and pulled away.

 

“What is your name?” he asked, because if nothing else, surely the subjugate still had that. He was given a peculiar look though.

 

“Name?” he questioned and frowned. “I have quite forgotten.”

 

Magnus shook his head. “Well, go back about your business,” he said with a shooing gesture.

 

The man walked off, keeping to the shadows of the corridor until he got to a room at the end and darted inside. Magnus sighed and opened his own door.

 

He hated every second of this.

 

*

 

“Alec, it’s me.”

 

Alec looked up to see Jace sheepishly opening the door to his room. He groaned and fell back against his bed, where he’d been trying to distract himself with a book.

 

“Please not you too,” he begged. Jace cleared his throat.

 

“Look, I don’t know… anything about love. True or not. I’m in no position to say anything to you,” Jace said, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at his hands.

 

“You have Clary,” Alec reminded him. Jace smiled a little at that.

 

“Yeah well that’s… We’re kind of…” He shrugged awkwardly. Alec had no idea what it was. He realised he had been so caught up in his own romance that he hadn’t even thought to check how Jace and Clary were doing.

 

“Yeah…” he said, figuring that if Jace wanted to tell him, he would.

 

“I’m just… here to be with you, alright. Silently if you want, but… You’re not alone Alec. I’ll support you no matter what. You’re my brother,” Jace said, putting his hand on Alec’s leg and leaving it there for a moment.

 

“Thank you,” Alec said, relief filling him. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Jace started to condemn him too.

 

They passed the rest of the evening in silence.

 

*

 

The whole room turned to look at him and Magnus gave them a wide smile. Playing party host was something he enjoyed, even if he was doing it for Camille’s benefit more than his own.

 

“Are you trying to embarrass me in front of everyone?”

 

Speak of the devil. He smiled at Camille, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.

 

“You look wonderful, darling,” he told her. Camille made a noise of outrage, drawing back.

 

“Magnus you’re naked!” she exclaimed. Magnus frowned and looked down at himself. Turquoise shirt and black leather pants. Definitely not naked.

 

“I am not!” he protested. Camille looked at him like he was crazy.

 

“You most certainly are! What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked, pushing at his shoulders to get him out of the room. Magnus realised, with a sinking sensation, that this could not be a coincidence.

 

It had to be the curse again. Still acting up despite his best efforts to end it once and for all.

 

“I… I think I’ll go to the bathroom now,” he said. Camille nodded vigorously.

 

“Get out of here before anyone else sees you!” she said and gave him one final push. He scurried out of the room as fast as he could, wracking his brain about the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

 

*

 

“Knock knock.”

 

“Go away Simon,” Jace answered on Alec’s behalf. “What are you even doing here anyway?”

 

“Trust me, I don’t want to be here but I was sent with a message...It seems like Magnus’ curse is playing up again,” Simon said, looking apologetic.

 

“Shouldn’t that be, er, fixed by now?” Jace asked, giving Alec a quick sideways glance. Alec was looking fixedly at his book. “Right, nevermind. What’s the story?”

 

“Well he’s kind of…” Simon let out a nervous giggle. “He’s walking through the streets of Brooklyn completely naked.”

 

“What?!” That had apparently caught Alec’s attention.

 

“Has he been eating the fairy food?” Jace asked, trying to keep things as normal as possible.

 

“Seems not,” Simon replied, though a grin had spread across his face.

 

“Well, we better go help,” Alec said, putting his book down and kicking his legs off the bed.

 

“Um, well, the thing is…” Simon began and trailed off, looking at Jace for help that Jace didn’t know how to give.

 

“Spit it out,” Alec said. Simon looked uncomfortable.

 

“It’s probably not a good idea for you to come. Camille… she’s possessive,” Simon explained quietly. Alec sagged on the bed.

 

“So Alec can’t come is what you’re saying,” Jace clarified.

 

“Yeah… Sorry man,” Simon confirmed and gave Jace a small shrug.

 

“I… expected it,” Alec said and then climbed back onto his bed, picking up his book. For all the world, he looked as if he’d never been disturbed.

 

“Alright. Alec, I’ll be back soon. Simon, let’s go.”

 

*

 

“You are not naked,” Jace said as soon as he entered the Hotel Dumort. Magnus gave him a long look.

 

“No. The public walk of shame is the end of the Emperor’s New Clothes,” he said. Jace shrugged, clearly having no experience with that particular tale.

 

“What are shadowhunters doing here?” Camille swept into the room, removing her heels and flinging them to the ground.

 

“I didn’t call them,” Magnus replied, going to pick up the shoes just as she dropped a shawl to the ground elsewhere. He sighed and picked that up for her too.

 

“I did.”

 

That was Simon. Magnus straightened up in time to see Camille turn to him, fangs bared.

 

“You little rat of a vampire. We are able to handle this ourselves,” she growled. Simon took a step back.

 

“No arguments from me,” he said, looking at Magnus for help. Magnus didn’t answer.

 

“Magnus… are you okay?” Jace asked, cutting through the silence. Camille had moved faster than Magnus was able to track her movements, suddenly draped around his shoulders, a smile on her face.

 

“Of course he’s okay. Everything’s fine,” she said. Jace continued to look pointedly at Magnus.

 

“I’m fine,” he repeated.

 

“See? Off you go Shadowhunter. Nothing left to see here,” Camille said, making a shooing gesture. Jace seemed to want to say something more but Simon put a hand on his shoulder and he took the hint, allowing himself to be escorted out.

 

“They’re so concerned about your well-being, Magnus. It’s charming,” Camille said, untangling herself from his shoulders and walking around him.

 

“They are good people, Camille,” Magnus replied, not sure what it was she was trying to get at.

 

“And yet they leave you with me,” she said, trailing a finger along his cheek.

 

“They think it’s what I need,” he replied. Camille laughed.

 

“But we both know that’s a lie, don’t we? We both know that I will never love you, not truly, nothing more than a fleeting fancy to come back to when other pursuits bore me,” she whispered, learning forward so their faces were almost touching.

 

“I know. But I promised I’d try,” he replied, staring ahead blankly, trying not to let her closeness get to him.

 

“You despise me,” Camille said softly, almost relishing the revelation.

 

“Yes,” Magnus confirmed. 

 

“And yet you stay?” she sounded amused.

 

“It is in payment for a life debt,” Magnus said and took a step back. Camille let a smile play about her lips.

 

“So it’s all for the Lightwood boy then. You are both so repulsive, the games you play with each other,” she said. Magnus felt she had no right to say anything about that, about him or Alec at all.

 

“I’m here because of Alec,” he said. Camille let it sit between them for a moment before she stretched.

 

“Well, there’s nothing more to be said on the matter then is there. Come to bed, Magnus,” she said, holding out her hand to him. Magnus couldn’t take it. He had been pushed to his limit already.

 

“I have to return to my apartment. I have to see if the curse book has updated the recent curse,” he lied. He hadn’t checked the curse book in many months, but it gave him as good an excuse as ever to get away.

 

“Oh fine, whatever. Go,” Camille said, before yawning and taking herself away to bed. Magnus fled from the Hotel Dumort, determined to scrub every inch of skin of Camille’s toxic influence.

 

*

 

“Magnus is fine,” Jace said when he returned to the Institute. Alec looked up from his desk.

 

“I didn’t ask,” he said. Jace shook his head.

 

“No but you wanted to,” he replied. Alec growled and stood up, aware that his chair clattered to the floor and that people were looking at him.

 

“Stop! Why won’t all of you just stop! I’m trying to do what I think is right! Why can’t you all see that?!” he yelled. Jace looked taken aback but then he raised his chin.

 

“Sometimes Alec, you have to stop trying to analyse and just go with what you feel. Can’t you see what you’re doing is tearing-”

 

“Enough!” Alec cut him off.

 

“Alec!” Izzy ran in from the training rooms, obviously having heard the commotion. Alec didn’t want to get the tag-team approach from the two of them either. He ran out of the Institute, but not before he heard Jace say:

 

“Let him go. At this point, none of us will change his mind. There’s only one person who can do that.”

 

*

 

Magnus opened the book and began to read through the curses from the beginning. Though the words were the traditional tales, his own mind supplied the truth of the stories, unfolding memory after painful memory.

 

Red Riding Hood.

 

_ "Magnus, you don't have to do this alone. We'll help you." _

 

Ali Baba.

 

_ "If you need any help, I'm free tonight. I could come along with you? Just in case?"  _

 

The Jabberwocky.

 

_ “Oh, but it is my business. You see, I promised to protect the Mad Hatter. And so you can’t harm a hair on his head!” _

 

The Red Shoes.

 

_ “Why, Alec, have you never danced before?”  _

 

The Princess and the Pea.

 

_ “You say friendship, yet your plan is to make me your family’s slave. Where is the friendship in that?” _

 

Snow White.

 

_ Awake. Don’t need assistance. Apparently my True Love was Ragnor or possibly Chairman Meow. Enjoy your day. _

 

Bluebeard.

 

_ "He is attractive and I can't deny that there's... something there." _

 

The King of Cats.

 

_ “You know what, it’s fine. It was a stupid idea anyway. Forget I asked anything. I just… You know, I thought you liked me, you know, more than liked me or whatever and I thought that, seeing as I like you and everything, that we could maybe go on a date but I guess I forgot that you kind of flirt with everyone and I-” _

 

The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

 

_ "Mother, that's not entirely true. I helped Magnus because he's Magnus. Because he was, because he is, my friend." _

 

Cinderella.

 

_ “I have to know if I’m wasting my time, Magnus. I need to know if… If you feel anything for me.” _

 

He paused. Cinderella wasn’t normal. Where the ending should have been the writing dragged down the page as though the writer had been torn away. In a new script read one phrase:

 

_ The future hasn’t been decided yet. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are approaching the climax of this fic. The next chapter is the last chapter before all the 'climax' chapters.
> 
> If you've been reading up until now, thank you so much for taking the time to do so. It has meant a lot to me to have your support all this time. If I hadn't posted OUATIB as a serial, and had the feedback I had, I would never have been able to complete it, or make it half the story that it is today. Honestly, thank you all so much!
> 
> Also two chapters in a day. That's what y'all get for being so awesome!


	19. Larceny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, now the pleasantries have been discussed, down to business,” the ex-Circle member said, clapping his hands together. “This is a heist, essentially, though the logistics are going to be somewhat more complicated due to the item we’re stealing being a… horse.”
> 
> “Go on,” Magnus said. “It can’t be harder than stealing the Queen of France.”
> 
> Hodge gave him a long look that said he had no time for Magnus’ bullshit today, before he continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all you kind comments. I wasn't sure I'd have time to post this morning but I have a spare few minutes so up it goes!

“I need to see a man about stealing a horse,” Magnus announced, sweeping into the Institute’s debriefing room like he owned it. Jace, who had been reading surveying something on the screens abruptly closed whatever it was. Well, the shadowhunters could keep their state secrets, Magnus didn’t want to know them anyway.

  


He glanced around the room. Clary and Isabelle were there. No Alec, which was good, but Hodge was there, not ideal. Even so, he’d take what he could.

  


“The curse?” Clary asked.

  


“The curse,” Magnus confirmed with a nod, sitting at one of the empty chairs and putting his feet on the table.

  


“It’s almost December,” Clary said with a waver to her voice.

  


“There are three petals left on the rose,” Magnus said and tried to keep up the air of not-caring that he’d shrouded himself in for the last month. It wasn’t precisely working for him, and he was aware that he’d become insufferable to those around him, but he had nothing else left to work with. Nothing else left inside himself but a timer slowly ticking down to his now seemingly inevitable demise.

  


“Oh Magnus…” Clary said and it was like she was already grieving his death.

  


“Please don’t,” Magnus said, giving her a sharp look. She hastily looked away. “In any case, the tale is called the Black Thief. I need a shadowhunter to help me. You are the most famous black-clad ninjas I know.”

  


“I don’t know that tale,” Jace said, folding his arms. He looked at Hodge who shrugged as well. Magnus had never had much hope that the ex-Circle member  _ would _ have any help for him.

  


“I do,” Isabelle said, getting to her feet and putting her hands in her pockets. She looked especially ravishing and Magnus wished more than ever he had picked a different Lightwood to get hung up on.

  


“Thank you Isabelle, you’re help will be much appreciated,” Magnus said, getting his feet off the table and standing. Isabelle gave him a slow smile.

  


“Oh no, I’m not going to help you,” she said before pausing, waiting for his confusion to show on his face. “My brother is.”

  


*

  


“Alec.”

  


“Magnus.”

  


They stood barely six feet apart, a table between them, and tried not to make eye contact. Alec could see that Magnus looked… thinner. Stretched. A like a glamorous suit washed too many times without care.

  


“You look well,” Magnus said, his voice clipped. Alec nodded.

  


“Thank you,” he replied. Luckily, Hodge didn’t let them stew in their own awkwardness long.

  


“Well, now the pleasantries have been discussed, down to business,” the ex-Circle member said, clapping his hands together. “This is a heist, essentially, though the logistics are going to be somewhat more complicated due to the item we’re stealing being a… horse.”

  


“Go on,” Magnus said. “It can’t be harder than stealing the Queen of France.”

  


Hodge gave him a long look that said he had no time for Magnus’ bullshit today, before he continued.

  


“From what information Izzy has gathered, the most precious horse currently in New York is called Steed of Bells. It’s kept in a stable and is pretty well guarded,” Hodge explained, pulling up a picture of a horse that Magnus could tell was worth a lot of money. It’s black coat was almost as glossy as leather, its head held high. Kingdoms could have been bought with horses of that calibre once upon a time.

  


“Great,” Alec said. Hodge turned back to them both.

  


“Now in the story, the Black Thief is caught and has to tell stories to the King for his freedom. You may have to be prepared to deal with mundane security guards and if you’re caught, have some pretty impressive tales to tell,” he said. Magnus shrugged.

  


“Should be no problem,” he said. “I’ll regale them with my tales of pirating in Peru. Let them try to figure out why guano is such a precious commodity.”

  


“I did anticipate it would be your forte Magnus. Although of course, the aim is to not get caught,” Hodge reminded him. Magnus gave him a sarcastic smile.

  


“How does the story end?” Alec asked, folding his arms. Hodge held up his hands in a  _ voila _ gesture.

  


“Happily, thankfully, with the horse being given to the thief and him riding back to save the lives of the princes and condemn the evil queen,” Hodge said. Alec nodded, apparently satisfied.

  


“Well then. That’s something. So how are we going to steal this thing?” Magnus asked, rubbing his hands together. He had never really done a heist before. Kidnapping, yes, but breaking and entering was still relatively new to him.

  


“From what we know of the curse, your magic can play up at inopportune moments so we’re going to do this the old mundane way. You’re going to sneak into the stables first of all. Izzy has sent you a satellite image of the area to your phones so you can decide which is the easiest way for you to get inside. Once inside you’re going to have to convince the horse to come with you,” Hodge said, bringing up the satellite image on the screen for them to look at. Magnus looked at the stables. They seemed pretty far from the nearest lodging.

  


“That’s where you come in Alec. You’ve got more recent experiences with horses than Magnus has,” Hodge said. Alec looked startled.

  


“I always preferred camels anyway,” Magnus quipped. Hodge gave him a look that begged him to be quiet.

  


“Yes, well, that may be. In any case, Alec you’ll have to saddle up the horse and get it ready to be led from the yard. Isabelle and Jace will wait with a horse box about a mile down the road. If you can ride the horse down there, without being spotted or heard, then you’re home free,” Hodge said, pinpointing an area on the map with a red dot. 

  


“And if I don’t have magic to silence the hoofbeats?” Magnus questioned.

  


“We may be able to apply mufflers to its hooves,” Alec suggested. “Samurai used to use them. We might be able to rig something up.”

  


“So that’s it. That’s the plan?” Magnus asked, not that he was unsatisfied with it, just that he wanted to be sure. Hodge nodded.

  


“Well then, let’s go.”

  


*

  


“Sh, get down,” Alec gestured frantically for Magnus to get behind a wall. Magnus quickly ducked, but nothing came. The yard was empty, not even a guard dog to disturb. Honestly, it felt almost too easy to have got this far.

  


“There’s nothing there,” Magnus hissed back. Alec sent him an annoyed glance over his shoulder.

  


“I heard something!” he whispered and Magnus sighed.

  


“No you didn’t. You’re just being paranoid,” he said. He was about to creep forward when Alec’s hand reached out and grabbed his hand.

  


A man walked out from between two outhouses. He had a can of beer in one hand, a rolled up newspaper in the other. He surveyed the night for a moment, before he slowly meandered his way to the farmhouse.

  


Only when the door to the farmhouse was closed did Alec lean forward.

  


“See I told you!” he said. Magnus looked down at his hand, still clasped tightly in Alec’s own. The shadowhunter quickly let go, getting to his feet. Magnus didn’t miss the way he clenched his fist as he jogged out of their cover and into the night air.

  


He followed quickly, slipping into the stable moments after Alec did. The smell of hay and horse filled his nose. It was fresh though. The stables were clearly well looked after, with nothing festering for days. They crept down the stalls, past several other horses before Alec gestured frantically at one at a stall second to last.

  


The Steed of Bells.

  


Alec immediately began to take tack down from the walls and sort it. The horse gave a quiet whinny as he got close and Magnus could see that, though he might be friendly now, he was a high spirited animal. Alec had barely entered the stall when the thing let out an even louder whinny.

  


“Hurry up and get that goddamn beast saddled,” Magnus reached into his pocket, grabbing an apple he’d brought for the occasion and quickly feeding it to the horse to take its attention away from Alec who was quickly throwing a blanket over its back.

  


“I’m going as fast as I can,” he said. He’d barely arranged the blanket though before Magnus picked up on a noise from outside.

  


“Someone’s coming. Quick, get to the last stall,” he said. Alec vaulted over the stall door and dashed into the last, thankfully empty, stall.

  


“Under the hay! Hurry!” Magnus began to bury himself under the hay. It must have been where they kept it for ease of use. It was all fresh and unused, thank goodness. Alec quickly joined him and soon they were buried under the stuff. It itched his nose like crazy.

  


Magnus listened as footfalls entered the stable, paused for a moment, and then left again. He breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for sure that they were discovered.

  


He turned, about to tell Alec that they were probably safe, but Alec was already facing him. Magnus hadn’t realised they were so close until now. In their haste, their legs had tangled together. A piece of straw that Alec was breathing on was tickling Magnus’ cheek with each breath he took.

  


“Magnus I…” Alec began. Magnus quickly pushed himself out of the hay.

  


“Shut up,” he said, pulling the strands out of his hair and trying to dust himself off.

  


“I’m sorry,” Alec tried again. Magnus turned. In the darkness he could barely see Alec, though he could see his eyes glittering and the general outline of his pale face.

  


“Now? Really?” Magnus asked, removing a particularly itchy piece of hay from down the back of his shirt.

  


“Magnus-”

  


“No. No you don’t get to absolve yourself while condemning me!” Magnus growled lowly, eyes narrowing. Alec straightened up too, seeming not to care that straw was stuck every-which-way in his hair.

  


“Magnus please-” Alec said, and his voice was too loud. It spooked one of the horses, causing it to kick against the wall of the stable.

  


“Shh!” Magnus darted forward, covering Alec’s mouth with his hand and glancing over his shoulder. For almost a minute they remained like that, listening for the sounds of someone coming. When Magnus finally stopped straining his hearing, he removed his hand from Alec’s mouth.

  


Alec’s eyes burned into his face.

  


It was a lunge, nothing graceful about it, but Alec grabbed him, pulled him towards him. Their mouths crashed together so sharply that Magnus felt his lip split. It would be something to think about later.

  


Alec’s hands clutched him desperately, gripping his clothes and pulling on them, trying desperately to get them off.

  


Magnus couldn’t help but concur with the idea. He was angry at Alec, angrier perhaps than he had ever been with any of his lovers, but the thought that this might be the turning point - that this might be the moment when Alec finally decided to be with him…

  


He might only have a month of this left, a mere thirty days, but wasn’t it worth it? Wasn’t it worth all of it?

  


“Fuck, why are you wearing so many belts?” Magnus growled, frustrated at his foiled attempts to get rid of Alec’s jeans. The shadowhunter sat up, shucking off his shirt and starting to undo the various belts he had on.

  


“I needed to make sure I had all the-” he began but as soon as the belts were undone, Magnus was kissing him again, his tongue sliding into his mouth and claiming it.

  


There was nothing gentle about it. No loving whispers or dirty talk. It was a physical need. He needed to feel Alec’s desperation, feel Alec’s want, feel his helplessness, his desire. Even if it hurt, even if it was punishing, even if it left red welts down his back where Alec’s nails dug into his spine.

  


He clicked his fingers, and thankfully his magic responded. Lubricant nestling into the hay beside them. He was suddenly grateful that he would never have to be unprepared for situations like this.

  


He slicked up his hand and slid it between Alec’s legs, stroking his cock once, twice and then drifting lower. Alec didn’t try to stop him as he slid a finger into him, didn’t do anything but throw his head back with a choked back moan.

  


Magnus stretched Alec as well as he was able. Alec’s hips were pressing down against his hand, his hands gripping at whatever it was he could reach, hay, Magnus’ hair, his thighs, his arms. Bruises formed where Alec had not taken enough care to draw back his strength.

  


Magnus didn’t care.

  


He slicked himself up and lined himself up against Alec’s entrance. He looked up, trying to see Alec’s face in the darkness. The shadowhunter’s eyes met his and Magnus slowly pushed his hips forward.

  


“Magnus… Oh god…” Alec said, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. Magnus growled and reached out, grabbing Alec’s jaw.

  


“Alec… Look at me,” he ordered. Alec’s eyes flew open and they were so darkened they were almost black. Magnus stared into them, losing himself, losing what he was, who he was, what it meant to be him, within their blue depths.

  


He knew it wasn’t going to be a long tryst. They were both too desperate, both too worn thin, too jagged, too broken by each other for them to be able to last. Alec was the first to finish, trying to turn his face into the hay before he remembered Magnus’ command.

  


He looked back and he saw Alec trying, trying so hard to keep his eyes on him as he rode out his orgasm, every muscle in his body trembling. Magnus quickly followed, watching the sharp rise and fall of Alec’s flushed chest, his blushing cheeks, his fluttering eyelashes.

  


Then it was over.

  


Alec grimaced and looked away as Magnus slipped out of him. With a click of his fingers they were dressed again, and were it not for their sweatiness or their breathlessness, it would have been like it had never happened.

  


“We had better get the horse,” Alec said, getting to his feet and wincing. Magnus didn’t know what to say to that, so he merely pushed open the gate so he could exit.

  


A flashlight shone directly into his eyes, blinding him.

  


“Stop right there!”

  


“Hands where I can see ‘em!”

  


“Evening officers,” Magnus said. He was no stranger to law enforcement. He put his hands up, showing he was clearly unarmed.

  


“Shut up,” Officer One growled. The second one circled around Magnus.

  


“There’s another one in here,” he called back. Well, so much for Alec getting himself out of the situation by hiding in the hay again. Alec was frogmarched next to him and Magnus was grateful, at least, that he’d had the sense to hide his bow, even if he hadn’t had the sense to use his glamour to hide himself.

  


“And just what were you two doing in a place like this?” Officer One asked, glaring at Alec. Magnus felt a sinking sense of dread.

  


“Well… The truth of it is…” Alec began, and he looked helpless. Magnus decided to step in.

  


“My boyfriend here is in the closet, and I live with my parents. It’s so hard for us to get alone time so we thought this place looked secluded enough for a romp in the hay. Pardon the pun,” he said, giving the officer a bright grin. Alec spluttered.

  


“What.”

  


“Sir, there’s a used condom in there.”

  


“See. I know it’s wrong to trespass and everything, but honestly, we were just so tired of  _ waiting _ you know?” Magnus continued, doing his best to sound like a typical teenager who was just so interested in sex that something as small as  _ trespassing _ wouldn’t be taken into account.

  


“I’ll have to take you in and wait for the owner’s response to this,” Officer One said. Magnus gave the officer a half-frightened, half-understanding look.

  


“Of course. I understand. Come on Alec, let the officers to their job,” Magnus said, giving Alec a pleading look. Alec gave him one back that clearly said he thought he was insane.

  


Magnus couldn’t help but agree.

  


*

  


“Being arrested?! By Mundanes?!” Robert Lightwood had never looked so angry. Alec was pretty sure he’d never seen his father this furious in his entire life. He sat, opposite his father’s desk, trying to make himself small.

  


“I’m sorry. It was part of the curse,” he explained. Robert didn’t seem to find that comforting.

  


“Part of the curse? Are you insane? Never in the history of our family-” Robert slammed his hand on the table and Maryse stepped forward, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

  


“Robert, please, calm down,” she urged. Robert shrugged her off, fixing Alec with a hard stare.

  


“No! I’m sending you to the house in England. You can’t do any harm to our reputation there,” Robert yelled. Alec felt a cold chill go through him. England?

  


“Robert, you can’t possibly send him to that house alone,” Maryse said, looking for the first time worried about Alec’s well-being instead of merely playing mediator out of a sense of duty.

  


“In response to what he’s done? And what’s worse, he was with a downworlder. Do you know what the police are saying he was  _ doing _ with that downworlder?” Robert spun to look at her. At first he thought his mother would deny it, but instead she squared her shoulders.

  


“I… heard the rumors, yes,” she said and Alec could see it in her, a defiance that he hadn’t seen before.

  


“Precisely. That house where people consorted with demons is the  _ perfect _ place for him to think about the ramifications of what he’s done to our family’s reputation,” Robert replied. 

  


It was the last straw. To compare Magnus to a demon, to look down on him, on both of them, to compare them to monsters who raped and murdered...

  


“Are you done?” he asked. Robert and Maryse turned to him, both looking shocked that he had said anything at all.

  


“Alec, don’t speak to your father that way!” Maryse said, her voice shrill. Any hope, he realised, that his mother would support him, was a false one.

  


“Well I apparently have packing to do,” he said, standing up and getting to his feet. Once he was outside the office, he realised Jace and Isabelle had been waiting outside the door. No doubt they had heard every word.

  


“Alec… There’s only two petals left on the rose. You can’t go now,” Isabelle said. Alec hung his head.

  


Magnus’ curse was so close to over and it still wasn’t broken. Being with Camille wasn’t working and his actions at the stables, his moment of weakness...

  


“I have no choice,” he said flatly.

  


“You do. You always have a choice Alec,” Jace reminded him. Alec threw his hands up, frustrated.

  


“I’ll be stripped of my runes if I disobey this time,” he said. Isabelle drew him into a tight hug before she stepped back, looking into his face with eyes filled with tears.

  


“Being with Magnus when he needs you or your runes,” she said and she let it hang there.

  


Alec made a frustrated sound, running his hands through his hair and starting to pace the corridor as he thought. It was a decision, a large one. Raphael’s accusations rang loudly in his mind. Just what did he care about? Was the Lightwood reputation, their whole existence, worth gambling less than a month with Magnus on? And if Magnus died anyway, wasn’t he throwing it all away for nothing?

  


Magnus’ expression in the stable came back to him, the fierceness with which he’d held Alec’s gaze, the possessiveness. The way that every fiber of Magnus’ being had been straining to be closer to him.

  


He wanted that again.

  


He  _ needed  _ that again.

  


“I need to talk to Magnus. Izzy, can you arrange to let him know what happened and where to find me?” Alec said finally. Isabelle smiled so brightly it was like the stars shining.

  


“Yes. Of course. Consider it as good as done, brother,” she said, hugging him tightly once more. Jace met his eyes over her shoulder and he nodded, once, stiffly.

  


“Guess we might find out what happens to parabatai when one is stripped of his runes,” Jace said. Isabelle drew back.

  


“You don’t want me to do it?” he asked. Jace shook his head.

  


“If you didn’t do this, you wouldn’t be the man I know you are,” he said. Alec felt his chest swell with love for Jace. He reached out, embracing him as well.

  


“Thank you. Thank you both.”

  


*

  


“You reek of horse and shadowhunter,” Camille said by greeting. Magnus looked down at himself, then back up at her.

  


_ Oh fuck this _ .

  


“I had sex with Alec Lightwood in a stable, that’s why,” he said, as casually as if he was talking about the weather.

  


“You-!” Camille began, but Magnus didn’t allow her to get into her tirade.

  


“I am finished with this. I tried as much as I can. I will spend my last month by myself-” Magnus began but Camille flew at him, fangs out and chest heaving.

  


“No. No you won’t. I will not allow you to leave!” she yelled.

  


“You can’t keep me prisoner here, Camille,” he told her. Her face contorted once more, her fury beyond anything Magnus had seen before. She was unhinged. Somewhere along the line, she had truly lost it.

  


“Can’t I? We belong together, Magnus, you and I. And wasn’t it you who was so eager to promise me ‘until death do us part’?” she asked, her voice full of cloying sweetness that was at odds with the anger on her face.

  


Magnus took a step back, but she was faster than he remembered. He barely had time to react to the strike before he caught him on the back of the head. His vision swam before his eyes. He tried to keep his feet under himself, but he couldn’t.

  


Another blow and it was lights out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;D


	20. Childhood Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was once a clever deer called Kancil. One day he was out, walking around and thinking about how intelligent he was, when he failed to watch where he was going and fell down a hunter’s hole…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but important.

“There was once a clever deer called Kancil. One day he was out, walking around and thinking about how intelligent he was, when he failed to watch where he was going and fell down a hunter’s hole…”

*

“C’mon… C’mon!”

Magnus’ hands scrabbled against the brick wall of his prison, trying to climb to the open top of the strange, circular cell he was trapped inside. The walls were only around eleven feet tall, but still too far for him to jump up and he had no furniture within the cell that was tall enough to allow him to balance on it to reach the top.

If he still had his magic, he’d have been able to get out without even trying, but perhaps because fate wanted to screw him over, or perhaps because Camille somehow planned it that way, he had been unable to use it since he’d woken in his darkened prison cell.

Camille had thrown down clothes, food, even the occasional bottle of alcohol, but had refused to free him.

She was waiting for something, she said, and Magnus wasn’t sure quite what it was. If it was the end of the curse, she was probably in luck. By his own calculations he had been down here for weeks already.

Long enough to feel like he might, perhaps, be going totally insane.

At first he’d hoped that the shadowhunters would come for him, seraph blades blazing, and free him. Surely Alec couldn’t have written off what happened between them in the Steed of Bells’ stable as just a mistake on Magnus’ path to true love…? But Alec didn’t come. Clary didn’t come. Hell, he’d have even taken Jace at that point.

His next hope was that Raphael or Simon would discover his prison and raise the alarm. Yet he’d seen neither hide nor hair of them while he was down there. Whatever had distracted the shadowhunters appeared to be keeping his two favorite vampires busy as well.

Either that or Camille had him somewhere so secret, so hard to find, that not even Raphael was able to find it.

He heard a sound from above, a carefully manicured hand reached out over the top of the cell. Magnus knew it was Camille’s from the nail polish. She dropped down a bag and was gone before he managed to get a word out.

Overcooked rice, boiled vegetables and undercooked chicken wings. Vampires were not exactly connoisseurs of fine food after all. Magnus guessed this was probably the best Camille could do, unless she had somehow hired a cook for her prisoner… Something Magnus doubted.

“You have got to be kidding me…” he sighed and began to eat his drab meal, wondering how much longer he either went so stir-crazy he tried something mad or the curse came for him with a vengeance.

*

“At first, Kancil thought it was hopeless for him to escape, that he would never manage to escape such a well put together trap. But soon an elephant came and saw him…”

*

“So no one told you life was gonna be this way,” Magnus sang loudly, adding the claps after by himself by banging two chopsticks against the lid of a chinese takeaway box he’d repurposed as a drum. He’d taken to singing to take his mind of the pain of his ripped hands. “Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s D.O-”

“Who is singing?”

Magnus stopped singing immediately, looking up at the top of the cell. It was the first voice he’d heard that wasn’t Camille’s or his own since he’d been put down here.

An old face peered over the top of the cell, an oddly vacant air about it.

“You… You’re that subjugate!” Magnus said, eyes wide. The man stared down at him blankly.

“The Mistress will be most upset that you’ve injured yourself, Warlock,” the subjugate said. Magnus got to his feet.

“I haven’t injured myself on purpose! I… I...”

*

“Kancil was very smart, and so he knew how to trick the elephant. ‘Hurry!’ he called. ‘Come down here! The sky is falling! We must seek shelter!’.”

*

“Actually, Camille asked me to hide down here, but I slipped. You should hide down here too. She wouldn’t want her favorite subjugate injured after all,” Magnus said, the plan forming in his mind quickly. The subjugate looked confused.

“Injured?” he asked. Magnus nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes. Didn’t you know? There’s another vampire attack, stronger than the last one!” Magnus said, faking urgency in his voice.

“I haven’t heard anything about that. And why would they attack here? No one knows about here,” the old man said, pulling away from looking over the edge of the cell and for a moment Magnus saw his grand plans of escape about to fail.

“You must trust me. I’m your mistress’ consort. Why would I lie?” he tried. The man reappeared, looked at Magnus for a long moment, before nodding.

*

“The elephant wasn’t as bright as Kancil, and so it panicked and did what Kancil asked. As soon as it was in the hole, Kancil jumped on his back and hopped to freedom.”

*

The man threw down a rope and Magnus schooled himself in patience as he climbed slowly down. His creaking old bones made it take a while for him to descend. When he finally got to the bottom, Magnus acted quickly, picking up an old discarded shirt Camille had left for him and jamming it over the subjugate’s eyes.

In the confusion that followed, Magnus managed to get to the rope himself, scrambling up it as quickly as his own body strength would allow him.

“What are you doin-” the subjugate yelled but Magnus was already turning around, pulling the rope out of his grasp so he couldn’t escape and tell Camille what had happened.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I had to use you to escape!” he protested, hoping that Camille didn’t hear her subjugate’s unhappy screaming.

For a split second he considered throwing the rope down, but then his own sense of self-preservation kicked in and he ran as far away from the cell as he could, not stopping until he reached the fresh air that had to be New York in December.

*

“What happened to the elephant, mother?”

“Kancil was clever, but he was not kind. He left the elephant to die in the hole.”

“I don’t like Kancil very much.”

“Well, Magnus, you can try not to grow up like Kancil.”

*

“Nothing?” Simon asked. He was playing video games on his laptop, spread out across a couch in Raphael’s room like he belonged there. Raphael shook his head.

“Nothing. It’s like he completely disappeared into thin air,” he said and ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe he just got tired of everyone meddling in his life and decided to hide himself from all of us for a while?”

“Without even telling Ragnor?” Simon asked. “Isn’t that strange?”

“I don’t know,” Raphael said. “Magnus can do strange things when he’s… not thinking straight.”

“We have to keep looking. Any updates in the curse book?” Simon asked. Raphael sat down next to him, resting a tired hand on Simon’s thigh and sagging against the couch.

“It says something in something I can’t read. If I had to guess I’d say it was Indonesian. I took a picture on my phone and I’ve sent it to a translator but… Another petal fell while I was there…” Raphael said with a sigh. Simon closed his laptop, ignoring the shouts of his teammates about why the hell their tank had gone AFK, and wrapped his arms around Raphael’s shoulders.

“We've done all we can. Alec will understand-”

“I was never doing this for that shadowhunter,” Raphael reminded him. “It was always because of the debt I owe Magnus.”

“This isn't your fault, Raph,” Simon said and Raphael wished he could bottle up Simon’s surety and keep it somewhere.

“Well it'll all be over soon, one way or another.”

*

“You haven’t heard from Magnus?” Isabelle asked. She was helping him do his appointed job of decorating the house for Christmas, tinsel draped around her like a feather boa.

“Nothing,” Alec replied, slowly twisting a bulb on the fairy lights and watching as they blinked to life. Isabelle was about to say something more when Jace burst in, a santa hat perched on his head and his cheeks flushed. Clary was beside him, giggling. They were both drunk on eggnog, clearly.

“Someone is in the Christmas spirit!” Isabelle said, smiling at them graciously, but Alec had no time for it. He shoved the fairy lights towards Isabelle and got to his feet, ready to stalk off.

“Alec, wait!” Isabelle threw the lights onto the floor and caught his hand. Clary and Jace were both stumbling to the couch beside the fire, oblivious to what was going on around them.

“I can’t pretend like nothing is wrong. I have to get back to New York, back to the Institute!” Alec hissed, keeping his voice down. His mother and father were only in the next room and he didn’t want to rehash the same arguments with them that he’d been having for the last month.

“There is one way…” Isabelle said.

“How?” he asked, desperately. He had discussed almost every option, but if Izzy had another way, he’d take it.

“You could ask to be put on trial,” she said. “For… well… Anything Downworlder related to be fair.”

“Izzy, I could be stripped of my runes. And I’d be in New York but I’d almost certainly be imprisoned,” he pointed out. Isabelle looked unhappy.

“What’s the other alternative?” she asked.

Alec looked at her for a long moment before his shoulders sagged.

“Well, if I’m going down, let’s make it a really big crime.”

*

Magnus locked the door to his apartment and raised the wards high. He quickly turned on the television, the heating, the lights, trying to make everything warm again.

It was Christmas Eve and already the snow was falling thick and fast outside. He ran to the curse room. All but the last petal on the rose had fallen.

He was out of time.

He picked up the phone and phoned Catarina’s speed dial.

“Catarina!” he said the moment she answered the phone. He heard Catarina let out a soft sound that was almost a sob.

“Magnus where were you? We were all so worried for you! Alec got sent to England and he’s been frantic-”

“I have no time to explain anything. I have to let you know. The curse. The curse is nearly at it’s end. I need you to tell people things for me, okay? Things I never got the chance to say before-” Magnus said. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he could sense it. There was something in the air, something that spoke of magic. It was heavy, cloying almost, and it smelled like roses.

“Magnus, no, no don’t talk like this-”

“Shh, sweetheart, it’ll be okay. I love you, okay. You and Ragnor, for all your faults, you were the best friends I could have ever asked for. Be good to each other when I’m gone, alright?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and confident, even though he felt sick to his stomach. Catarina took a shuddering breath.

“Magnus-”

“Tell Raphael to take out Camille and put himself as leader. He’ll be good at it,” Magnus continued when he realised that Catarina wouldn’t be able to respond to it thoughtfully.

“And lastly… Tell Alec… Tell Alec that I…” he trailed off, unsure what he could possibly say that would convey the weight of his feelings for Alec, unsure on what would be enough, what would be helpful with the grief and anger to come. “That he shouldn’t blame himself.”

“I am sorry that it has ended this way,” a voice said from the door to the curse room. Magnus looked up. Nothing should have been able to get through the wards. What he saw made his grip on the phone loosen, allowing it to clatter to the floor. Catarina’s muted panicked sobs could be heard through the room.

“You… You’re the Enchantress!” he said.

The Enchantress’ glamor stripped away to reveal a tall, ethereal being, neither man nor woman. Proud antlers rose high over nir head, and serene, sad eyes met Magnus’ own.

“Not precisely. My name is Doona, I am the High Warlock of the Isle of Man. I am here to guide you, now, in your final moments,” ne said and held out a hand. “Are you ready, Magnus?”

Magnus swallowed and then raised his chin up. He could hear Catarina screaming his name still, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered.

It was time.

He took Doona’s hand. The warlock smiled at him and nodded.

“You know, Magnus, the future hasn’t been decided yet,” she said, and the door to the curse room swung closed.


	21. For Who Could Ever Love A Beast?

“You… Why did you do this to me? It can’t have been pure anger at being turned away from a party!” Magnus demanded. The door had slammed behind him like a death knell and he couldn’t open it. His magic had stopped working again.

Doona reached down, picking up the curse book hand handing it to Magnus casually. He stared at it for a moment before slapping it out of nir hands. Doona looked sad.

“No. I was… employed, I suppose you could say. The person who wanted this curse cast took something from me. I will get him back upon your death,” ne explained. Magnus couldn’t help but hear the longing in nir words when ne said that, and he realised that other than nir face, he knew nothing of Doona at all.

“‘Him’?” Magnus questioned.

“My husband, John. He was taken and held hostage for a year while this curse ran it’s course. Insurance to make sure it is done,” Doona explained.

Understanding dawned on Magnus. This wasn’t a warlock that had gone loopy and decided to break the Accords, this was someone being blackmailed into killing him, their own precious person being kept from them until the deed was done.

If it had been Alec… He wasn’t sure that he would have taken a moral high ground and not cursed another warlock…

“Your husband… They have your husband…” he repeated, suddenly feeling lost.

His survival… could it possibly mean someone else’s death? If it did, could he accept it?

He realised, with a revolted shiver down his spine, that it was something he was prepared to live with.

It seemed Doona knew that too, because nir look was strangely knowing.

“Yes. I hope that he is still alive, though I have no way of knowing if he came to any harm,” ne replied, and ne walked over to the rose, taking it from the case and twirling it carefully between long fingers. Magnus swallowed, watching the final petal on the head flutter in the slight draft.

“Who took him?” he asked. Doona turned to him and for the first time, he saw that ne was near tears.

“I think you know, deep down, where my husband is, who he is. And therefore, who my employer must be.”

And Magnus realised he did know.

“Camille.”

“Yes.”

Magnus leaned back against the closed door, trying to regulate his breathing. The betrayal still hurt, even after all these years, even though he didn’t love her any longer, even though he had long since decided to give up on anything Camille could ever offer him… That she would do this...

“And so now I’m to die because I could not find true love? Why this curse? Out of any that you could have chosen?” Magnus yelled, pushing away from the door and fixing Doona with a stare.

“I didn’t choose it. Camille came to me with it already designed. I think she wanted you to love her again, in some twisted way. Love or death, she didn’t mind the outcome as you would be hers in either eventuality,” Doona replied and ne took a step towards him too. Magnus stalked forward, grabbing Doona’s wrist and holding the rose up between them.

“There wasn’t enough time-” he began but Doona silenced him.

“Are you so sure? Look again at the book. Look again at the stories. Let’s look again at your life Magnus, in these final minutes,” ne said, and the whole world erupted into light and illusion.

*

“There’s a warlock outside the wards. She’s half-crazed trying to get in,” Raj reported. Alec looked up from where he was half-heartedly decorating Christmas cookies to see Isabelle was stood next to him, her chest heaving. He quirked an eyebrow at her but she shook her head.

His parents were at their feet immediately.

“Malicious?” Robert asked. Raj shook his head.

“I think it’s Catarina Loss,” Isabelle said in a rush, pushing Raj out of the way. Alec immediately discarded the icing pipe and grabbed a tea towel to wipe his hands.

“Catarina?!” he checked. He strode purposefully across the kitchen, slipping past Raj before the other had even thought to hold him back.

“Alec you’re not allowed outside the wards!” Robert yelled and Alec saw shadowhunters begin to run out of rooms, alerted by the shouting but clearly unsure what to do when they saw Alec and Isabelle striding purposefully towards the door.

“Let me through,” he said calmly to the shadowhunters at the door. They moved aside, allowing him to open the door and for Catarina Loss to fly through, her eyes streaming tears. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him towards her.

“Alec! Alec Lightwood! Please come! Please we need you! Magnus needs you!” she babbled. Alec was about to respond when he felt his father’s hands wrap around his arms, jerking him back from Catarina’s grasp.

“Let go of me!” Alec struggled, but upon seeing that it was a Lightwood matter, no other shadowhunters stepped into help him. He struggled.

“He’s going to die! He’s going to die please save him please please save him!” Catarina was yelling, holding herself tightly, watching the two of them wrestle with each other.

“Magnus!”

*

“This is your life. A rich tapestry,” Doona said, waving with nir hand to the length of a beautiful woven cloth that Magnus couldn’t entirely understand the patterns off.

Doona’s hands rested on some that looked black and twisted. “These threads are the curse. And these threads are your friendships, your relationships, the moments where your lives touched others.” Those threads were gold.

“And this thread?” Magnus asked, pointing to one that was woven blue and black yet glowed brighter than all the others.

“Your true love’s life touching yours,” Doona replied. Magnus ran his finger across the weave.

“Who does it belong to?” he asked. Doona gave him a long look.

“I cannot answer that question, Magnus. Only you can,” ne said and suddenly it felt like a wind was blowing through the illusion.

Magnus guessed that was too easy an answer. He closed his eyes, thinking about it hard. The obvious answer was Alec, but what if he was wrong? What if he fouled it up trying to force something.

“Push harder, Magnus. Push harder. Find your true love’s face, find their soul, the way its tangled with yours! Do not give up! No matter what the pain!”

The wind grew stronger, almost drowning out Doona’s voice completely.  
Magnus concentrated harder, trying to find the moment in his life when love had shone through the most. He dismissed the images of Imasu playing the charango, dancing with Etta in his apartment, Camille’s face when she received the pendant that would protect her...

“Do not give up!”

And yet his face came back, blue eyes amused but wary.

“Alexander Lightwood.”

“Louder. Let the whole world hear!” Doona shouted over the wind that roared in his ears.

“My true love is Alexander Gideon Lightwood!” Magnus yelled, and the wind stopped. The illusion that Doona had showed him shattered into a million fragments.

He looked at nir, triumphant, but Doona was staring blankly at the rose, its last petal still teetering on the stem, its magic still as powerful as ever.

“Nothing happened! Why did nothing happen?” Magnus yelled, snatching the rose from nir hand and inspecting it.

“I don’t know… I thought-” Doona began but Magnus had no time for excuses.

“Think faster!” he snapped.

The last petal teetered, so close to falling.

“The curse, it transferred,” Doona said suddenly, eyes widening.

“To Alec?” Magnus checked. Doona nodded, antlers bobbing.

“Yes. We have to go. We have to get him to-”

Magnus was already conjuring a portal.

*

The hallway clock began to strike midnight.

“No!” Catarina cried, spinning around. Although she'd never said anything about midnight, Alec knew that this was the moment. It felt like it. There was an ominous presence in the air.

“Let go of me let me leave!” He yelled, trying to wriggle out of his father’s hold.

“Alec you will bring no more disgrace on this house-” Robert began but at that moment Alec slipped his grasp. He looked to Catarina, willing her to find a portal when he saw that she'd fallen to her knees.

“I can’t feel Magnus’ magic! I can’t feel him! Oh god no! No…” she clawed the the carpet of the hallway, her eyes wide and unseeing.

Alec felt like someone has punched him in the gut. The hallway clock struck its third bell and with it he felt all his strength leave him. He couldn't breathe.

The world felt suddenly, strangely, unreal.

“I should have been there!” Alec said, turning to Robert and staring at him. “I should have saved him-”

“Well, that may be the case, but we really don’t have time to talk about that now do we?”

Alec barely has time to register that he knew that voice as he turned. The clock struck four.

“Magnus?” Isabelle exclaimed happily.

Sure enough, there he was. His hands bleeding, his clothes crumpled, but with a look on his face that said quite clearly that he was about to take no shit from anyone.

“Stay away, warlock!” Robert yelled.

The clock struck five.

“We’re trying to save his life!” Alec had been so distracted by Magnus he hadn’t seen Doona slip in behind him, or the rose clenched in nir hand, it's petal hanging on by a thread. “Magnus there’s no time for this!”

The clock struck six.

Alec saw Magnus dart forward, felt his shirt grabbed in Magnus’ hands and the warlock placed a hard kiss on his mouth.

There was a flash of blue and he felt himself being thrown backwards as memories assaulted his mind.

*

“What did you do?” Isabelle asked, already running towards Alec’s prone form six feet away.

The clock finished chiming

“Dragged every memory he had of me right to the forefront of his mind and prayed,” Magnus replied, holding up the rose in front of him, his heart racing.

The final petal fell off the rose…

*

Alec realised quickly that whenever he was, it was inside his own mind. He was in the curse room, the book in front of him, the whole scene frozen.

He took a step forward, opening the book and reading down the list of tales. Magnus had been alive, but the last story was already written in. Beauty and the Beast.

He flicked to the page, surprised when he saw a picture of himself amongst the illustrations.

In his hands was a rose, carefully held between two fingers. The final petal was falling and beneath him, Magnus was prostrate at his feet, desperation etched into every line.

Behind them, almost ominously, was a dark shadow. At first Alec thought it was the Grim Reaper, but when he looked closer he could see the outline was clearly that of a woman.

Camille, he realised, was hiding there.

Why had Magnus sent him here? Why had Magnus-

He looked at the book again. The revelation struck like the chime of a clock.

He scrambled to turn the pages of the story, scanning the pages, his mouth moving over the words.

To find true love and be loved in return.

This is what Magnus has meant.

The future hadn’t been decided yet.

So Alec made a decision.

*

...and fell to the floor.

Magnus reached Alec and dragged him onto his lap, scrabbling to find his pulse for a moment before giving up and instead listening for sounds of his breathing.

“Well… He’s breathing, that’s a good sign,” Magnus said, though he didn't let go of Alec’s body. He reassured himself with the rise and fall of Alec’s chest until Alec’s eyes flew open.

For a moment Alec struggled, gasping for breath, disorientated, but then he settled, his eyes focusing on Magnus’ face.

“You’re alive!” he cried, his face so full of relief, wonder and love that it made Magnus’ heart swell.

“Seems that way,” he replied, unable to keep the smile from his face.

“How?” Alec asked and he frowned, like he was trying to remember something that he'd forgotten. Magnus guessed his own spell hadn’t been as kind to Alec’s subconscious as Doona’s had been to his.

“True Love, of course. Now we don’t have time to waste here. We have to get back to the Hotel Dumort,” he said, standing up and dusting himself off.

They had plenty to discuss but that would be later. Now he was just filled with joy that Alec loved him and rage, that Camille had tried to take this away.

“What?” Alec asked eloquently, struggling to his feet.

“I have no time to explain but you’re going to need to officiate-” Magnus began but Robert stepped forward, expression bleak. Magnus had completely forgotten he was there.

“Alec is going nowhere with you, warlock,” he said and Magnus raised a mocking eyebrow at him. He had a feeling no one would be keeping him and Alec apart again.

“Oh really, Robert, again with this? Do you remember the last time we fought? I remember quite clearly you were left with quite a lot of egg on your face in the aftermath. Of course, now you own the Institute of the people who helped murder, so maybe it worked out well for you in the end,” Magnus said mockingly. He saw Alec’s face pale slightly. Perhaps the Lightwoods has kept the extent of their crimes from their children but Magnus wouldn't forget.

And he wasn't going to allow anyone else to meddle anymore.

“Hold your tongue!” Robert yelled, his face turning red and ugly. Magnus inspected his nails. They were embedded with blood and dirt, the polish chipped away. He really needed to paint them again.

“I refuse to. I have evidence that Camille has violated the Accords. I need a New York Shadowhunter to come with me and officiate her arrest,” Magnus replied with a bored sounding voice. For a moment everyone was still, then Alec took a step forward, head held high, eyes determined.

“I’ll go,” he said, and there wasn't a trace of doubt in his voice.

“Alec, if you go through that portal-” Robert warned but Alec interrupted him.

“I’ll go,” he repeated. Magnus beamed at him.

“Then let’s go. There’s no time to spare,” Doona said, clapping her hands and conjuring a swirling purple portal.

“Doona? Why are you here?” Alec asked, perhaps only noticing for the first time that she was. Magnus tilted his head to the side.

“I’m not going to even ask how you know her, but now is not the time. Now through the portal with you,” he said, giving Alec’s shoulder a light push.

The look Alec gave him, exasperated, relieved, loving, slightly suspicious, was enough to last Magnus for days. He grinned and patted him on the ass as he stepped into the portal, causing him to stumble.

“Alec!” Robert called. Magnus turned to him, cat-like eyes burning.

“Sorry, Dad. Maybe we’ll stop by later for a bit of Christmas dinner though. Toodles!” he said, wiggling his fingers in a mocking wave before he jumped through the portal himself.

*

The Hotel Dumort was as quiet as ever. Magnus placed a finger over his mouth to warn them to be quiet before he led them to the room where he knew Camille spent most of her time.

Alec stayed close to him the whole time, his hand brushing against Magnus’ own in a way that felt casual and right.

He opened the door to the room to find Camille holding court. There were more vampires left at the Hotel Dumort than Magnus had thought, and they turned as one to look at him.

Camille rose from her seat, looking confused.

“Magnus what-” she began but Magnus raised a hand to silence her.

“I know everything, Camille. I know everything you did. He’s here to arrest you for all the crimes you have committed,” he said, gesturing to Alec. Raphael and Simon were also getting to their feet, looking between Magnus and Camille confusedly.

“All the crimes I committed? What are you talking about?” Camille asked, folding her arms. Magnus sighed.

“Enough games. As if it wasn't enough you imprisoned me, you captured a Mundane, made him into a subjugate. Where is he?” he asked. Camille rolled her eyes.

“So you can collect him as evidence?” she asked and it was far from a denial. Raphael’s face changed from confusion to a darker, deeper emotion.

“Camille, what have you done to him?” Raphael asked, his fangs slightly bared.

“What? I haven’t done anything,” she replied, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

Magnus believed her.

“Doona, go ahead. We can deal with this,” Magnus said. “Take that tunnel over there. It should lead to a cell where you'll find him.”

He didn't see the point in telling Doona that he had put John down there himself.

“Why Camille? Why did you do this?” Magnus demanded, taking a step forward. The surrounding vampires were watching the events carefully and Magnus knew he had to be careful. There was no way they'd survive if Camille ordered them all to attack and they obeyed her.

“You chose to forget about me. Abandon me. And I wasn’t about to let that slide, Magnus Bane,” she replied and Magnus was almost relieved. It was such a petty reason that no one could truly support it.

“You’re insane. That’s no reason to kill someone,” Alec spoke for the first time. Magnus couldn't help but agree.

Camille however looked taken aback.

“Kill? I had no intentions of killing you. Remove your immortality but never kill,” she said. Alec growled in his throat but Magnus put a staying hand on his shoulder.

“You know the curse was going to cause my death!” he said. Camille actually took a step backwards, her legs colliding with the chair behind her. She sat down with great force and Magnus suddenly remembered what she looked like when she was afraid.

“I… No, it was supposed to-” she began.

“Was Doona lying?” Magnus muttered to himself. Perhaps Doona had said those things to save herself…?

“That would make no sense, she helped us save you,” Alec said, eyes trained on Camille with the utmost dislike.

“Doona enacted the curse, but I got everything to cast it from another,” Camille’s voice was smaller sounding than usual.

“Who?” Magnus demanded.

“Seelies. They said it would-” Camille’s eyes widened. “No they didn't. The mundane with them did!”

“Who was the mundane with them?” Magnus pressed, taking a step forward. Camille had risen to her feet.

“That old wretch who I had to keep as a bargaining chip-” she said and Magnus turned to Alec, eyes wide.

“Doona’s husband!”

“Magnus, what should we do?” Alec asked, but his seraph blade was already in his hands.

“Go, get to Doona before she gets to him!” Magnus said. Alec didn’t seem to need any more encouragement and took off at a run. The vampires were unsettled, talking amongst themselves, their whispers growing slowly louder.

“Did Doona know? Did she know that someone else had given you that curse?” Magnus asked Camille. She shook head head.

“No. I didn’t see the point in telling her. Her husband was the bargaining chip I needed after all,” she admitted. Magnus ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t have time to deal with you right now,” he admitted and Camille’s shoulders sagged in relief. She offered him a small smile, which he didn’t return. When she attempted to walk away from her chair towards him though, Raphael moved into her path.

“Ah-ah-ah. You’re not going anywhere,” he said and with a flick of his head, the vampires of the Hotel Dumort had surrounded her.

“You can’t do this! Raphael what are you doing?!” Camille demanded, jerking her arm away from one vampire’s hold on her.

“You hid it from us! All this time! And those attacks, the one on Simon, the one on the Hotel Dumort, that was because somehow, someone knew what you were doing! They knew the shame you were bringing on our race!” Raphael roared. Magnus watched, wondering if he should intervene, but in the end, this was Raphael’s justice now.

“Raphael, we are brethren you cannot-” Camille pleaded but Raphael shook his head firmly.

“Shut up! You have no idea what I’m capable of,” he hissed before taking a few steps backward. He stood beside Simon, a show of strength, of leadership. Magnus saw how the other vampires waited for his order, waited for his instruction.

“Lock her away in the basement. Chain her there. Let her rot for all eternity,” Raphael ordered finally and Magnus didn’t wait until Camille’s screams died out to leave the room.

He needed to get to Doona and Alec now that Camille was dealt with.

He ran down the labyrinthine passages, recalling from memory when he had run the other way. Once the brickwork changed, became the familiar brick work of his cell, he slowed down.

Alec was stood at the top of the cell, looking down it with a grim expression on his face. Magnus frowned and Alec just shook his head.

“He’s dead… He’s dead…” came a wail from the bottom of the cell. Magnus peered over the edge to see Doona was there, cradling nir husband’s body to nir chest, rocking back and forth.

“He has a circle carved into his neck. It’s not runed but…” Alec trailed off. Magnus didn’t try to hide his surprise.

“He was working for Valentine?” he asked. Alec shrugged.

“I don’t know. It could be the Seelies covering their tracks but...” He was cut off by another grief-filled wail.

“No matter now. We’ll discuss it later,” Magnus said, putting his hand on Alec’s shoulder briefly before he grabbed the rope Doona had used to get down and descended once more into the cell.

He ignored the immediate feeling of claustrophobia he had and knelt down beside Doona. The warlock’s face was stained with tears as her fingers clawed into the skin of her dead husband.

“Doona, I am sorry,” Magnus said softly. He did pity her. She had lost someone she loved, and he knew how difficult that could be.

“I can help you… I can… take the memories away. Of the curse. Of his death like this. I can leave you with just the happy ones,” he offered and Doona reached out and took his hand, squeezing it so tightly it hurt.

He met nir eyes.

“No. This is my punishment, Magnus Bane,” Doona said. “Go. Let me grieve what John once was…”

Magnus stood up, letting go of Doona’s hand and climbing back up out of the cell. It wasn’t tied up neatly. Doona could hardly be punished more than ne already had been, Camille would never face trial for what she tried to do even misguidedly, and the true villain was already dead and perhaps working for an organisation Magnus had long hoped to never have to battle with again.

“Magnus…”

He saw Alec reach for him. He took Alec’s hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“Come, my love. There’s nothing left to be done here.”

*

“Well, that was a crazy night,” Alec said, sitting on Magnus’ couch and tickling Chairman Meow behind the ears. Magnus couldn’t help but smile a little. He had thought this was a sight he’d never see again.

“Yes. It was,” he agreed. Alec looked up at him. Magnus could see it, reflected in his eyes, the optimism for a future.

“Can I ask… how did you survive the curse?” Alec asked, ignoring Chairman Meow now and standing up again. Magnus allowed a small, knowing smirk to spread across his face.

“I loved someone, truly. And they loved me truly as well. Though we probably have a lot to work on,” he said. Alec took a few steps closer to him, so close that Magnus could have reached out and grabbed him at any moment.

He didn’t.

“True Love, huh?” Alec asked and the grin on his face was almost soppy.

“Well, whatever the curse thought was true love in any case. I still am not convinced by it,” Magnus said and threw his head back haughtily.

“Magnus…” Alec said with a warning tone, reaching out and putting his hands on Magnus’ hips. Magnus looked at him and rolled his eyes.

“Oh stop giving me those puppy dog eyes. I’m still angry with you. We could have broken this curse weeks ago if you hadn’t been so obstinate,” he pointed out, putting his hand on Alec’s chest and pushing in a way that was most half-hearted.

“So it’s me then? I’m your True Love?” Alec pressed, and for a moment there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes that made Magnus want to slap him all over again.

“You are so pretty, but honestly so dumb sometimes,” Magnus said, smoothing Alec’s shirt and giving him a condescending smile. Alec’s eyes narrowed.

“Magnus…” he said again in that low tone and Magnus realised he’d never get bored of hearing his name from Alec’s lips, even if it was always in that slightly annoyed tone.

“Alright, my precious young boytoy, I’ll admit it. I love you,” Magnus said, smiling and tapping Alec on the nose.

“Magnus, I-” Alec began but Magnus drew away, disentangling Alec’s hands from his waist.

“And I’m furious with you all the same. A relationship won’t work on emotion alone, you know. If we had just been able to talk about things, without you making all the decisions for me-” He began to rant. Alec reached for him again, ignoring the hands that were pushing him away.

“And if you had told me the truth of everything from the start,” Alec interjected, managing to get a good grip on Magnus’ wrist and holding him close.

“Well, yes, perhaps we are both to blame on that front,” Magnus conceded, looking at the way that Alec was holding his wrist firmly enough not to let him escape, but not so strongly that it hurt.

“What now?” Alec asked. Magnus met his eyes.

“I’m waiting,” he said. Alec looked confused.

“What for?” he asked and he slowly lowered Magnus’ captured wrist, threading their fingers together instead.

“Something you’ve never said to me before,” Magnus replied, giving Alec’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“What?” Alec looked puzzled and Magnus just waited patiently until Alec’s fantastic brain caught up with the conversation. “Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh’. Still waiting, Alec,” Magnus said. Alec swallowed, visibly nervous, but he finally raised his chin and met Magnus’ gaze head on.

“I love you, Magnus Bane,” he said and then leaned in for a kiss.

Magnus quickly reached up, putting his hand over Alec’s mouth. Alec’s eyes fluttered open, confused.

“No kisses for you. Still angry, remember?” Magnus reminded him, though there was a playful edge to his voice. Alec waited until Magnus’ hand slipped from his lips and pulled Magnus quickly into his arms.

“Shut up Magnus,” he said and they shared True Love’s Kiss.


	22. And if they didn't live happily ever after that's no business of ours...

“It’s just one party…” Magnus whined. He was wearing something outrageous and made almost entirely from brocade. Alec didn’t even look up.

“I don’t want to and you can’t make me,” he replied, curling into an even smaller ball and pulling his book closer to his face. Chairman Meow purred on his chest, clearly approving of this new position.

“Sweetpea, Blue Eyes, my special little runed-” Magnus coaxed but Alec shook his head without even looking at him.

“You’re going to make me throw up,” Alec replied, turning the page on his book even though he hadn’t read the previous one. It at least gave the impression he had.

“What are you two arguing about now?” Isabelle asked, sweeping in with her arms full of Christmas presents. It had been a year since the curse had ended, and Alec had been living with Magnus full-time while things cooled off with his parents.

“Well, I want Alec to come to Pandemonium with me and he is refusing to come, as usual,” Magnus sighed dramatically. Isabelle let out a small chuckle and started to arrange presents under the tree. Behind her loped Simon, carrying what seemed like a very life-like Santa that had little vampire fangs etched into its face.

It was hideous.

Alec hoped that Magnus incinerated it.

“I have no desire to see you rub up against every Downworlder and Mundane in the club,” he said firmly. And it wasn’t that he got jealous per se, he knew Magnus belonged with him, it was more…

Alright, he got jealous.

“It’s a little harmless flirting, my love, nothing serious,” Magnus replied, sprawling out on one of the couches and looking put upon. Alec fixed him with a long look.

“So you don’t deny you do it then?” he asked. Magnus smirked at him.

“Jealous?” he countered. Alec didn’t see the point in denying it.

“Always,” he said.

“You two are cute. In a weird way,” Simon interrupted their little debate and Alec sighed, putting his finger inside the pages of his book to hold his place.

“Have you heard from Clary?” he asked. Simon shook his head, helping Isabelle arrange the presents.

“No. She’s hauled up with her mom now she’s awake,” he said, straightening a bow before he put it under the tree.

“They have a lot to catch up on,” Magnus said and there was a hint of reproach in his voice, as though he didn’t feel this was an appropriate area for discussion.

The last year had been hard on all of them, with Valentine’s rise and the Clave’s ongoing refusal to acknowledge it.

“Yeah. That’s a conversation I wouldn’t want to be part of,” Isabelle said, finally finishing arranging the presents and clapping her hands as she stood up.

“What about your parents? Losing both of their sons must be a blow,” Magnus asked. Alec felt his heart beat hard in his chest as he looked at Isabelle. He had stopped asking her how things were at home.

“Funny you should say that. They’re reconsidering Alec’s transgressions in light of Jace’s,” Isabelle said, looking at Alec with a smile. He didn’t smile back. He knew that his father’s anger wasn’t abated just because Jace was suddenly M.I.A.

“They are opportunists. They have to ally themselves now with the son that seems farthest from Valentine. They’re smart, I’ll give them that,” Alec said dismissively, turning back to his book.

“Be that as it may, it won’t help us with Jace or any of the other stuff we have going on,” Isabelle said with a shrug. Magnus leapt to his feet.

“Precisely. That’s why you should come to a party with me. There’s nothing to be done after all-” he said and Alec knew that Magnus was looking directly at him.

“Magnus, I said no,” he repeated. Magnus let out a sigh and then turned to the other two in the room.

“Spoilsport. Oh well, Izzy? Simon?” he prompted. Alec glanced up to see Simon was shuffling from foot to foot.

“Movie night with Raphael. We’re working solidly through every cult classic from pretty much ever. Did you know he hadn’t see the Rocky Horror Show? I mean, what the hell?” Simon threw his hands up like it was a tragedy. Alec had no idea what that movie apparently was. He made a note to ask Magnus about it later.

“I’m free Magnus. I’d love to escort you,” Isabelle said graciously. Magnus immediately turned and saw Alec was paying attention. He threw an arm around Isabelle’s shoulders.

“See, your sister is a fun time,” he teased. Alec picked up his book again.

“You should have been cursed to love her instead then,” he retorted. Magnus laughed.

“Cursed to love you… It does somehow seem accurate, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“Quite.”

“Are you two done being all romantic? I mean, anyone would think you hate each other,” Simon said, looking at once bewildered and amused.

“Far from it, just the other day, Alec had the perfect opportunity to drown me in the bath and he valiantly held out from pushing my head under the water. It was most sweet,” Magnus said.

Alec remembered what Magnus was talking about and turned bright pink. It had not been any kind of attempt to drown Magnus, but it had been… fun… nonetheless.

“You two are weird,” Simon said, shrugging.

“Love is weird,” Alec said, closing his book and getting to his feet. He pecked Magnus on the cheek.

“If Ragnor were here, he’d have had a field day with you two,” Isabelle said. Magnus’ expression went carefully neutral and Alec reached out and squeezed his hand.

“He is much missed,” Magnus said. Alec wondered if the pain of losing Ragnor would lessen over time, or if the grief of losing his oldest friend would follow Magnus around for the rest of his life.

“Anyway, come on my dear, let’s get ready and leave these stooges to their books and movies,” Magnus suddenly snapped out of it, giving Alec’s hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go and putting his arm around Izzy’s waist to lead her into his dressing room.

The door shut and Alec realised he was smiling.

Magnus was still, after all, Magnus.

“You really turned out okay in the end didn’t you?” Simon asked, taking a few steps forward and looking at the closed door. Alec gave him a sideways glance.

“Yeah, we did,” he admitted, happy that he didn’t have to elaborate further.

“You must be excited for the future. I mean, it’s practically written for you that you’ll have a happy ending,” Simon said excitedly. “Happily ever after and all that.”

Alec gave Simon a small smile.

“Who knows? The future hasn’t been decided yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends!
> 
> Thank you so much for all your support, kudos, comments, asks and art while I was writing this! I love you all!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at withbrokenbones


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